ETCHINGS     OF     A     WHALING      CRUISE, 


WITH  NOTES  OF  A 


SOJOUK:  ON  THS  i3LA:r>  CF  ZANZIBAR. 


TO    V.HIGH   IS   APPENDED    A   BRIEF 


HISTORY      0?      THE      W   H   A  L  3     FISHERY, 


ITS      AS1     i   .     .   ::i,3E::T   CONDITION. 
BY        JOHN     R  0    SS      B   ?.  0    V/   N  E    . 

ILLUSTRATED   3Y  I-JU  FERGUS  ENGFAVIKGS  ON   STEEL 

•/OOD. 


NEW     YORK: 

HAMPER     s   BROTHERS,   PUBLISHERS, 
62    CLIFF    STREET 
1846. 


ENTERED,    ACCX        I          TO    ACT  OF    OOIft^SS,    IN   TEE, 

YEAR   1646. 
BY   .    .         -   £   BROTHERS. 

IN   THE    OLSRK'S   OFFICE  OF    THE    SOUTHS?.!-;  DIST-ICT 
OF   NSW  YORK. 


PREFACE. 


WITHIN  a  few  years  past,  the  condition  of  our  merchant 
seamen  has  excited  very  general  interest.     It  is  gratifying 
to  perceive  that  the  efforts  made  in  their  behalf  by  the  hu 
mane  and  the  liberal  have  been  productive  of  the  happiest 
results.     Facilities  for  their  moral  and  intellectual  improve 
ment  are  now  within  their  reach  ;  attention  is  paid  to  their 
comfort ;  the  difference  between  oppression  and  discipline 
is  beginning  to  be  observed ;  and  cases  of  insubordination 
and  mutiny  will  soon  be  comparatively  of  rare  occurrence. 
While  the  laudable  exertions  of  philanthropists  have  ef 
fected  so  much  for  the  happiness  of  that  useful  class  of 
men,  it  is  not  a  little  singular  that  the  abuses  existing  in  the 
whale  fishery  are  scarcely  known  beyond  the  limits  of  our 
northeastern  coast.     The  subject  is  one  of  great  moment, 
especially  to  the  people  of  New  England,  who  are  largely 
interested  in  the  whaling  business,  and  who  have  ever 
manifested  a  warm  regard  for  human  rights.     To  them, 
the  condition  of  seamen  engaged  in  that  service  is  a  matter 
of  too  much  importance  to  remain  unheeded,  when  prop 
erly  understood. 

In  submitting  the  following  narrative  to  the  public,  I  am 
actuated  mainly  by  a  desire  to  make  my  experience  as 
useful  to  others  as  it  has  been  to  myself;  and,  by  a  faithful 
delineation  of  the  service  in  which  I  spent  so  eventful  a 
period  of  my  life,  to  show  in  what  manner  the  degraded 
condition  of  a  portion  of  our  fellow-creatures  can  be  ame 
liorated. 
I  feel  confident  that  there  is  much  in  the  cruel  and  op- 


IV  PREFACE. 

pressive  abuses  prevalent  in  the  whale  fishery  to  enlist 
public  sympathy.  There  are  now  in  active  employment 
more  than  seven  hundred  whaling  vessels  belonging  to  the 
New  England  States,  manned  by  nearly  twenty  thousand 
hardy  and  intrepid  men.  It  is  a  reproach  to  the  American 
people  that,  in  this  age  of  moral  reform,  the  protecting  arm 
of  the  law  has  not  reached  these  daring  adventurers.  We 
are  indebted  to  them  for  the  extension  of  our  commerce  in 
foreign  countries ;  for  valuable  additions  to  our  stock  of 
knowledge;  for  all  the  benefits  resulting  from  their  discov 
eries  and  researches  in  remote  parts  of  the  world ;  and 
yet  they  are  the  most  oppressed  class  of  men  in  existence. 
History  scarcely  furnishes  a  parallel  for  the  deeds  of  cru 
elty  committed  upon  them  during  their  long  and  perilous 
voyages. 

The  startling  increase  of  crime  in  the  whale  fishery  de 
mands  a  remedy.  Scarcely  a  vessel  arrives  in  port  that 
does  not  bring  intelligence  of  a  mutiny.  Are  the  murder 
ous  wrongs  which  compel  men  to  rise  up  and  throw  off  the 
burden  of  oppression  unworthy  of  notice?  Will  none 
make  the  attempt  to  arrest  their  fearful  progress  ?  Such  a 
state  of  things  surely  calls  for  investigation.  My  limited 
experience  enables  me  to  point  out  some  of  the  causes  of 
crime  on  the  high  seas.  If  it  be  possible  to  diminish  them 
by  more  attention  to  the  welfare  and  comfort  of  the  crews, 
and  to  the  punishment  of  masters,  not  only  for  positive  acts 
of  cruelty,  but  for  morally  degrading  those  under  their 
command,  justice  certainly  requires  that  the  remedy  should 
be  speedily  carried  into  effect. 

So  far  as  relates  to  myself  personally,  I  take  this  oppor 
tunity  of  stating,  that  during  the  unpleasant  term  of  my 
servitude  before  the  mast,  I  was  treated  as  well  by  the  cap 
tain  and  officers  as  they  were  capable  of  treating  any  com 
mon  sailor.  The  desire  to  revenge  private  wrongs,  or 


PREFACE.  V 

gratify  malice,  can  not,  therefore,  be  justly  attributed  to 
me.  My  design  is  simply  to  present  to  the  public  a  faith 
ful  delineation  of  the  life  of  a  whaleman.  In  doing  this,  I 
deem  it  necessary  that  I  should  aim  rather  at  the  truth 
itself  than  at  mere  polish  of  style.  A  due  regard  to  fidelity 
induces  me  to  present  the  incidents  and  facts  very  nearly 
in.  their  original  rude  garb.  I  have  no  faith  in  softening  or 
polishing  stern  realities.  Let  them  go  before  the  world 
with  all  the  force  of  truthfulness ;  and  if  they  can  effect 
nothing,  the  blame  will  not  rest  upon  the  narrator.  I  claim 
no  higher  credit  than  that  of  being  an  accurate  reporter  of 
passing  events,  with  the  privilege  of  commending  what  is 
right,  and  dissenting  from  what  is  wrong.  I  have  suffered 
too  much,  not  to  feel  the  woes  of  others.  Where  reproof 
is  merited,  where  injustice  has  been  done,  where  human 
rights  have  been  invaded,  I  shall  ever  lift  up  a  deprecating 
voice.  It  is  one  of  the  glorious  prerogatives  of  a  freeman 
to  denounce  tyranny  and  injustice  ;  and  no  fear  of  exciting 
enmity  shall  deter  me  from  exercising  it.  I  have  espoused 
the  cause  of  seamen ;  I  have  shown  the  flagrant  abuses  to 
which  they  are  subject ;  I  have  exposed  the  cupidity  of 
owners  and  the  tyranny  of  masters ;  and  I  do  not  expect 
to  escape  censure.  No  man  ever  enlisted  in  a  good  cause 
without  making  enemies.  Truth  is  always  offensive  to 
those  who  have  cause  to  fear  it.  If,  therefore,  there  be 
any  who  may  feel  disposed  to  abuse  me  for  exposing  the 
wrongs  of  seamen,  they  may  rest  assured  I  prefer  their 
censure  to  their  praise. 

Mr.  Richard  H.  Dana  nas  given,  in  his  "  Two  Years  be 
fore  the  Mast,"*  a  faithful  and  graphic  delineation  of  life 
in  the  merchant  service.  The  thanks  of  every  just  man 
are  due  to  him  for  his  noble  exertions  in  behalf  of  the  suf 
fering  mariner.  Previous  to  the  publication  of  his  work, 
little  was  known  of  the  real  hardships  encountered  by  sail- 

*  Harper's  Family  Library,  No.  106. 


VI  PREFACE. 

ors  ;  and  to  Mr.  Dana  may  be  attributed  the  moral  revolu 
tion  which  has  since  taken  place  in  the  merchant  service. 
I  should  be  very  backward  in  presenting  my  narrative  to 
the  public,  after  the  brilliant  success  of  a  work  written  under 
nearly  the  same  circumstances,  if  it  were  not  that  each 
describes  an  entirely  different  service.  The  duties,  treat 
ment,  mode  of  living,  and  every  thing  connected  with  the 
voyage  of  a  -whaleman,  differ  widely  from  those  of  the 
merchant  sailor.  I  believe  no  one  has  yet  attempted  a  full 
and  continuous  narrative  of  forecastle  life  in  the  whale  fish 
ery  from  actual  experience  as  a  hand  before  the  mast. 

Having  had  no  previous  acquaintance  with  the  topogra 
phy  of  the  islands  visited  in  the  course  of  our  cruise,  or  the 
manners  and  customs  of  the  inhabitants,  and  no  books  to 
which  I  could  refer  while  at  sea,  I  was  obliged  to  rely 
chiefly  upon  my  own  observation  ;  so  that  the  little  which  I 
may  have  added  to  what  is  already  known  of  those  islands 
must  be  taken  in  connection  with  the  circumstances  under 
which  I  obtained  my  information.  It  should  be  borne  in 
mind  that  this  is  not  designed  as  a  work  of  reference  for 
geographers  and  naturalists.  I  claim  no  higher  rank  for  it 
than  that  of  a  mere  chronicle  of  incidents  and  adventures. 

The  notes  of  a  sojourn  On  the  Island  of  Zanzibar  will,  I 
trust,  derive  some  interest  from  the  fact  that  very  little  is 
known  of  that  island  and  its  inhabitants.  Since  the  embas 
sy  to  the  courts  of  Siam  and  Muscat  in  1832-3,  but  more 
especially  since  the  visit  of  a  vessel  belonging  to  the  Imaum 
of  Muscat  to  this  country  a  few  years  since,  it  has  become 
customary  to  laud  this  Arabian  potentate  in  the  most  ex 
travagant  terms  of  admiration.  I  have  no  disposition  to 
detract  from  his  high  reputation ;  but,  at  the  same  time,  I 
must  say,  no  living  sovereign  has  been  more  universally 
misrepresented,  both  as  regards  character  and  power.  I 
enjoyed,  perhaps,  a  better  opportunity  of  becoming  ac- 


PREFACE.  Vll 

quainted  with  the  true  character  of  the  Imaum  of  Muscat, 
the  extent  of  his  dominions,  and  the  condition  of  his  sub 
jects,  than  any  of  those  writers  who  have  described,  in 
such  glowing  terms,  the  splendor  of  his  court,  his  munifi 
cence  toward  the  American  government,  and  his  unlimited 
power  over  the  islands  near  the  eastern  coast  of  Africa. 

I  take  pleasure  in  acknowledging  my  indebtedness  to 
Mr.  A.  A.  von  Schmidt,  the  talented  artist  who  has  so  ad 
mirably  executed  the  drawings.  An  intimate  personal  ac 
quaintance  with  this  gentleman  for  many  years  past  in 
duced  me  to  show  him  my  rough  sketches  taken  during 
the  voyage ;  and,  through  his  skill  and  kindness,  I  am  now 
enabled  to  present  them  to  the  reader  in  a  more  perfect 
state,  but  with  all  the  spirit  and  freshness  of  sketches  from 
life.  I  am  happy  to  perceive  that  his  skillful  pencil  is  not 
idle,  having  been  called  into  requisition  by  the  Honorable 
Edmund  Burke,  commissioner  of  patents. 

Though  young  in  years,  it  has  been  my  lot  to  encounter 
many  of  the  vicissitudes  of  a  wandering  life.  May  I  not 
be  indulged,  then,  in  the  privilege  of  an  adventurer — that 
of  telling  of  dangers  past  in  my  own  way?  If  I  have 
dwelt  at  some  length  on  the  dark  side  of  things,  it  will  be 
admitted  that  I  show  a  strong  preference  for  the  sunny 
side.  It  is  no  pleasure  to  me  to  harp  upon  the  ordinary 
frailties  of  human  nature.  Indeed,  I  think  I  may  be  al 
lowed  to  say,  that 

"  I  own  the  good,  while  smarting  with  the  ill, 
And  love  the  world,  with  all  its  frailty,  still." 

With  these  few  remarks  in  the  way  of  explanation,  I 
submit  my  narrative  to  the  indulgence  of  the  public ;  and 
if  it  should  be  the  means  of  directing  attention  to  the  un 
happy  condition  of  that  class  with  whom  I  was  for  a  brief 
period  of  my  life  associated,  I  shall  consider  myself  repaid 
for  the  trials  and  hardships  of  the  past.  J.  R.  B. 

Washington,  D.  C.,  July,  1846. 


CONTENTS, 


CHAPTER  I. 

A  few  Words  of  Introduction. — Life  in  Washington. — Castle-build 
ing. — Plan  of  a  grand  Tour. — The  Dignity  of  Office. — Departure 
from  the  Capital. — The  Dutch  Skipper. — Embarrassing  Situation. 
— A  New  York  whaling  Agent. — Consigned  to  New  Bedford. — 
An  old  Blubber  Hunter's  Experience  ....  Page  1 

CHAPTER  II. 

A  new  Friend. — Examination  by  the  Fitter. — A  Sailor's  Boarding- 
house.— Jolly  Set  of  Whalemen.— Captain  Bill  Salt.— Our  first 
Lesson  in  Lunars.  —  A  Song.  —  The  Fitter's  Kindness.  —  The 
Barque  Styx  and  Owners. — Fine  Promises. — Weigh  Anchor. — 
Repentance 14 

CHAPTER  III 

A  Sketch  of  our  Captain. — First  Night  at  Sea. — Remedy  for  Sea 
sickness. — The  Calcutta  Hole  outdone. — Stormy  Weather. — The 
Gulf  Stream. — Reefing  in  a  Gale. — Vain  Regrets. — Rough  Fare. 
— Voracity  of  the  Portuguese  ......  22 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Trouble  on  Board. — Choking  a  Seaman. — All  Hands  called  Aft. — A 
Scene  in  the  Waist. — Laying  down  the  Law. — Duplicity  of  the 
Owners.  —  Choosing  Watches.  —  Preparations  for  the  Whaling 
Ground. — Fatiguing  Exercises  ......  31 

CHAPTER  V. 

Distressing  Illness  of  my  Friend. — His  brutal  Treatment. — Unfeel 
ing  Conduct  of  the  Portuguese. — Their  Ignorance. — Setting  Boats' 
Crew  Watches. — A  Chase  after  Black-fish. — Evening  Pastimes  89 


X  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  VI. 

More  Trouble  on  Board. — Cruelty  toward  a  Seaman. — A  School  of 
Whales. — Prize  alongside. — Remarks  of  the  Down-Easter. — Cut 
ting  In  and  Trying  Out. — Land  ho  ! — Peak  of  Pico. — Terceira. 
— Trading. — Character  of  the  Islanders. — Scenery. — Adventure 
on  the  Island. — An  unpleasant  Predicament  .  .  .  Page  47 

CHAPTER  VII. 

"A  Gam." — Departure  from  Terceira. — Pico. — Island  of  Fayal. — 
Villa  Orta. — Part  with  my  Friend. — Landing  the  Sick. — Juggling 
for  a  Watch. — Departure  from  Fayal. — Gloomy  Prospects  76 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

Quarreling  Aft. — A  Row  between  the  Captain  and  Mate. — Return 
to  Fayal. — Annoyances. — Murderous  Designs  of  the  Cook. — Un 
der  Weigh  for  the  Indian  Ocean. — Monotony  of  the  Passage.— 
Pastimes. — Canary  Islands. — Horse  Latitudes. — Grand  Whale 
Chase.— Six  Whales  alongside. — Beautiful  Effect  of  the  Moon  104 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Make  the  Cape  de  Verdes. — Isle  of  Sal. — Bonavista. — Isle  of  May. 
— Raising  Breaches. — Leton's  Rock. — Humor  of  the  Cook. — Isle 
of  St.  lago. — Porto  Praya. — Bill  Mann  "  Three  Sheets  in  the 
Wind." — Bounty. — Its  Effects  upon  the  Crew. — A  Sail. — British 
Convict  Vessel  .........  147 

CHAPTER  X. 

Approach  the  Equator. — Sketch  of  an  old  Whaleman. — John  Tabor's 
Ride — Sketches  of  the  Crew. — Routine  of  Duty. — Standing  Mast 
heads. — Ship-keeping. — Signals 165 

CHAPTER  XL 

Cross  the  Equator. — Martin  Vas  Rocks. — Isle  of  Trinidad. — Bill 
Mann's  Account  of  Governor  Trinidad.  —  A  large  Albatross.  — 
Right  Whale  Chase. — Christmas  Day. — Off  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope. — Tremendous  Gale. — Condition  of  the  Vessel. — Passage 
from  the  Cape  to  Madagascar. — Kill  a  Whale  off  Fort  Dauphin. — 
Cape  St.  Mary. — St.  Augustine's  Bay. — Cruise  in  the  Mozam 
bique  Channel.— A  Fight.— Two  Men  Flogged  .  .  .205 


CONTENTS.  XI 

CHAPTER  XII. 

Isle  of  Makumba. — Wood-cutting  and  Hot  Weather. — Arrival  at 
Bembatooka  Bay. — Town  of  Majunga. — American  Traders. — 
Natives. — Liberty  Ashore. — Grand  Dance. — Dinner  at  Mohammed 
Desharee's. — Quarrel  between  the  Captain  and  Mate. — Great 
F6te  in  Honor  of  the  Governor. — Ambolamboes  and  Sacklaves. — 
Departure  from  Madagascar  .....  Page  224 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

Cruelty  to  a  Portuguese  Boy. — Make  the  Comoro  Isles. — Visit 
from  the  Sheik's  Secretary. — Johanna. — Bay  of  Henzooanee. — 
Description  of  the  Town. — Hozain  and  his  Certificates. — Jack 
America. — Adventure  with  the  Sheik. — Description  of  Syed  Mo 
hammed  264 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

Mohammedan  at  Prayer. — Beautiful  Glen. — Upset  in  a  Canoe. — 
Bull  Fight. — Terrible  Combat  between  the  Down-Easter  and  the 
Bull. — Leave  Johanna. — Exciting  Whale  Chase,  and  Capture  of  a 
Whale. — Trouble  and  Discontent. — Make  Zanzibar. — Desertion 
of  three  Men. — Speech  of  the  Captain. — Condition  of  the  Crew 

283 

CHAPTER  XV. 

Effects  of  ill  Treatment. — Scene  in  the  Forecastle. — Combination 
to  refuse  Duty. — A  bad  Predicament. — Revolt. — Dreadful  Con 
dition  of  Things  on  Board. — Appeal  to  the  Consul. — Interview  with 
him. — Exertions  to  find  a  Substitute. — Disappointment. — Sus 
pense. — Hope. — Another  Disappointment. — Bargain  with  a  Quad 
roon. — Swapping  Places  with  a  Negro. — Procure  my  Discharge. — 
A  happy  Release.— Good-by  to  the  Styx  .  .  .  .308 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

Description  of  Zanzibar. — Imaum's  Harem. — Castle  Antiquities. — 
Inhabitants  of  N'Googa. — Sowhelian  Customs. — Poetry. — Imaum's 
Palace. — Commercial  Advantages  of  Zanzibar. — Treaties. — -Aham- 
et  Bin  Hamees. — Rajab. — Exaggerations  of  Travelers. — Despotic 
Government. — Possessions  of  Syed  Syed  Bin  Soultan. — Presents 
to  his  Highness. — Fate  of  the  American  Pleasure  Boat  .  328 


Xll  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

Arabian  Towns. — Topography  of  N'Googa. — Fatal  Effects  of  the  Cli 
mate. — Unchristian  Treatment  of  a  Scotch  Seaman. — Wretched 
Condition  of  the  Natives. — Barbarous  Treatment  of  Sailors. — The 
Sultan's  Generosity  toward  the  American  People. — Directions  for 
the  Preservation  of  Health Page  357 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Superstitions  of  the  Inhabitants. — Hassan  and  the  Devil. — Jeram  Bin 
Seva's  Horror  of  Mesmerism. — The  big  Snake. — Funeral  Cere 
monies  of  the  Sowhelians. — A  Mohammedan's  Aversion  to  Pork. 
— Death  of  a  Portuguese  Boy. — Character  of  the  Arabs. — A  Bri 
dal  Ceremony.  —  Marriage  Law.  —  Sowhelian  Dances.  —  The 
Coolies. — Jungle  Dogs. — Death  of  a  Shipmate. — Practicing  Med 
icine. — Auctions. — Sale  of  the  Brig  Bogota  ....  384 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

Gambling. — Horse-racing  on  the  Nazee  Moya. — Warlike  Exercises. 
— Religious  Customs. — Visit  to  the  Interior  of  the  Island. — An 
Oriental  Scene. — Caravan. — Description  of  the  Shambas. — Grand 
Dinner  at  Hadja  Mouchad's. — Return  to  Town. — A  Funeral  419 

CHAPTER  XX. 

Arrival  of  a  Brig  from  the  Persian  Gulf. — A  Whaling  Skipper. — 
Suspense. — Arrangements  for  a  Passage  Home. — Departure  from 
Zanzibar. — Passage  round  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  .  .  444 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

Make  St.  Helena. — Preparations  to  go  Ashore. — Dinner  at  the  Con 
sul's. — White  Ladies. — A  Whaling  Captain. — Love  and  Music. 
— Visit  to  Napoleon's  Tomb. — Politeness  of  a  Yamstock. — Anec 
dote  of  a  Frenchman. — Departure  from  St.  Helena  .  .  450 

CHAPTER  XXII. 

Sketch  of  a  good  Captain. — Amusements. — Dana's  Narrative. — A 
pattern  Husband.— Baffling  Winds.— The  Gulf  Stream.— A  Ves 
sel  abandoned. — Land  Ho  ! — The  Captain's  Wit. — Make  Cape 
Cod  Light-house. — Hospitality  of  the  Citizens  of  Salem. — Bad 
News. — Arrival  in  Washington. — Visit  to  the  West. — Changes. — 
Home  and  its  Pleasures 476 


CONTENTS.  Xlll 

CONCLUSION. 

Fate  of  my  Comrades.— Narrative  of  the  Sufferings  of  my  Friend 

W . — Unparalleled  Case  of  Cruelty. — Account  of  the  Yankee 

Boy. — The  Mockery  of  the  Law. — Injustice  toward  Seamen. — 
Review  of  the  Voyage. — Reflections  on  the  present  Condition  of 
the  Whale  Fishers.— Flogging,  and  its  evil  Effects.— Imperfec 
tions  of  the  United  States  Consular  System.— Life  of  a  Whale 
man.— Tyranny.— The  End  .  .  .  .  .  Page  484 


APPENDIX. 

Historical  Sketch  of  the  Rise  and  Progress  of  the  European  and 
American  Whale  Fisheries  ......  Page  511 

Statistical  Tables,  showing  the  Number,  Tonnage,  and  Value  of  the 
Vessels  employed  in  the  Whale  Fishery  belonging  to  the  United 
States ;  the  Ports  from  which  they  sail ;  the  number  of  Seamen 
engaged  in  the  Service  ;  Condition  of  the  Whaling  Business,  includ 
ing  Imports  and  Exports  of  Oil,  from  1838  to  1846  ;  Articles  used 
in  constructing  and  fitting  Vessels ;  Duties  on  same,  &c.  .  533 
Extracts  from  the  Speeches  of  Messrs.  Grinnell,  Rockwell,  and 
Clayton,  in  reference  to  the  present  Condition  of  the  American 

Whale  Fishery 539 

Bounties 540 

Effects  of  a  Protective  Tariff 542 

Honolulu  Friend — French,  English,  and  American  Whaling  Inter 
ests  in  the  Pacific — Rules  and  Regulations  respecting  Seamen — 
Sandwich  Islands  ........  543 

Beale's  List  of  Cruising  Grounds,  with  Observations         .        .  547 
Wilkes's  Chapter  on.  the  Whale  Fishery  .         .         .         .549 

Anatomical  and  Physiological  description  of  the  Sperm  Whale,  its 

Habits,  &c 564 

Right  Whale 572 

Fin-backed  Whale 572 

Species  of  Right  Whale 573 

Hunter's  Remarks  on  the  Whale  Tribe 573 

Inventions  for  Killing  the  Whale 574 

Specimens  of  the  Sowhelian  Language 575 

Numerals          .         .  .......  580 


ETCHINGS  OF  A  WHALING  CRUISE. 


CHAPTER  I. 

A  few  Words  of  Introduction. — Life  in  Washington. — Castle-build 
ing. — Plan  of  a  grand  Tour. — The  Dignity  of  Office. — Departure 
from  the  Capital. — The  Dutch  Skipper. — Embarrassing  Situation. 
— A  New  York  whaling  Agent. — Consigned  to  New  Bedford. — 
An  old  Blubber  Hunter's  Experience. 

I  DEEM  it  but  fair  that  the  reader  should  know  the 
circumstances  under  which  I  commenced  my  career 
of  adventure.  There  is  nothing  uncommon  in  them 
— nothing  that  I  have  the  slightest  reason  to  con 
ceal  ;  and  it  is  only  because  I  believe  the  interest  of 
a  narrative  of  this  kind  depends,  in  a  great  measure, 
upon  the  previous  pursuits  and  associations  of  the 
author,  that  I  make  any  allusion  to  matters  which 
would  otherwise  be  of  so  little  moment. 

When  a  man  abandons  all  the  enjoyments  of  civ 
ilized  life,  signs  away  his  freedom,  and  voluntarily 
brings  trouble  upon  his  own  head,  it  may  naturally 
be  presumed  that  he  has  wise  motives  for  doing  so. 
I  am  not  sure  that  this  was  precisely  my  case.  If  I 
had  any  motives  for  so  unaccountable  a  course,  they 
were  merged  in  the  vague  but  absorbing  desire  in 
herent  in  me  from  early  boyhood  to  see  the  world. 

A- 


Z  STENOGRAPA1CAL   AMBITION. 

I  date  the  circumstances  which  led  to  my  cruise 
as  far  back  as  1838.  In  that  year  I  performed  a 
voyage  in  a  trading-boat  from  Louisville  to  New 
Orleans.  The  incidents  of  a  year's  life  on  the  Ohio 
and  Mississippi  Rivers  gave  me  a  thirst  for  adventure; 
and  I  resolved  to  gratify  it  with  as  little  delay  as 
possible.  My  design  was  somewhat  ambitious.  I 
was  determined  to  travel  as  a  gentleman  of  leisure ; 
though,  to  accomplish  this  object,  it  was  necessary 
I  should  have  means.  In  racking  my  brain  to  find 
a  panacea  for  empty  pockets,  I  could  think  of  no 
profession  in  which  it  was  likely  I  should  have  so 
little  competition  to  contend  against  as  that  of  stenog 
rapher,  from  the  fact  that  it  requires  more  labor  to 
become  proficient  in  it  than  most  other  professions. 
Besides,  I  had  a  penchant  for  scribbling.  I  set  to 
work  at  once,  and  studied  Gurney's,  Taylor's,  and 
Gould's  "  hieroglyphics"  with  so  much  zeal,  that  at 
the  expiration  of  about  a  year  I  was  a  mere  hiero 
glyphic  myself. 

In  November,  1841 — then  in  my  nineteenth  year 
— I  left  Kentucky  for  Washington  City.  The  pros 
pect  before  me  was  quite  inspiring.  I  was  about 
to  see  the  great  men  of  the  nation  assembled  in 
council;  to  hear,  for  the  first  time  in  my  life,  the 
tnrilling  eloquence  of  our  great  orators ;  to  be  the 
humble  medium  of  preserving  some  of  their  flights 
for  future  ages  to  admire  !  What  a  glorious  galaxy 
of  intellectual  light  was  soon  to  shed  its  rays  upon 
my  boyish  mind ! 


GRAND    TOUR    PROJECTED.  3 

On  my  arrival  in  Washington,  I  was  fortunate 
enough  to  procure  a  good  situation  as  reporter  in 
the  Senate.  A  long  session  had  just  opened.  Ac 
cording  to  the  nicest  calculation,  I  thought  myself 
(prospectively)  in  possession  of  at  least  six  or  eight 
hundred  dollars ;  and  I  spent  my  leisure  hours  lay 
ing  out  the  plan  of  my  grand  tour.  First,  I  intend 
ed  visiting  France.  If  I  should  find  nothing  very 
attractive  in  Havre  or  Paris,  I  would  immediately 
proceed  to  Italy,  see  all  the  curiosities,  and,  after 
touching  at  various  ports  in  the  Mediterranean,  cut 
across  from  Constantinople  to  Alexandria  and  Cai 
ro,  visit  the  Pyramids,  take  a  flying  trip  across  the 
Isthmus  of  Suez,  and  return  by  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope.  All  this  I  intended  doing  in  an  economical, 
though  gentlemanly  wray. 

The  prospect  of  being  able  to  accomplish  my 
wishes  in  so  short  a  time  encouraged  me  to  diligent 
application.  Not  a  moment  of  my  time  was  mis 
spent.  I  was  really  a  model  of  industry.  When 
my  work  was  over,  I  hurried  to  the  Library  of  Con 
gress  to  study  the  history,  geography,  and  literature 
of  the  places  to  be  visited  in  my  grand  tour.  In 
this  way  I  passed  many  of  my  leisure  hours  with 
pleasure  and  profit. 

As  the  session  advanced,  much  of  my  youthful  en 
thusiasm  began  to  wear  away.  A  nearer  acquaint 
ance  with  the  distinguished  political  leaders  by  no 
means  increased  my  respect  for  them.  At  first,  I 
could  not  approach  a  great  man  without  trembling. 


4  DISGUST    AT    WASHINGTON    LIFE. 

I  never  felt  my  utter  insignificance  till,  with  uncov 
ered  head  and  downcast  eyes,  I  stood  in  the  pres 
ence  of  those  renowned  statesmen  and  orators  whose 
names  I  had  learned  to  revere.  I  was  not  so  young, 
however,  but  that  I  could  soon  see  into  the  hollow- 
ness  of  political  distinction ;  the  small  trickery  prac 
ticed  in  the  struggle  for  power,  the  overbearing  aris 
tocracy  of  station,  and  the  heartless  and  selfish  in 
trigues  by  which  public  men  maintain  their  influ 
ence.  I  became  thoroughly  disgusted  with  so  much 
hypocrisy  and  bombast.  It  required  no  sage  moni 
tor  to  convince  me  that  true  patriotism  does  not 
prevail  to  a  very  astonishing  extent  in  the  hearts  of 
those  who  make  the  most  noise  about  it.  The  pro 
fession  I  had  chosen  enabled  me  to  see  behind  the 
scenes  and  study  well  the  great  machinery  of  gov 
ernment,  and  I  can  not  say  that  I  saw  a  great  deal  to 
admire. 

Such  life  had  no  attractions  for  me.  I  looked 
forward  with  anxiety  to  the  close  of  the  session. 

There  was  one  matter,  about  which  I  began  to 
feel  very  uneasy — my  contemplated  visit  to  Europe. 
Where  were  the  funds  to  come  from  ?  As  yet,  I 
had  received  from  the  sources  upon  which  I  had 
based  my  calculations  barely  enough  to  defray  my 
expenses.  Alas  for  my  grand  tour ! 

"  The  best-laid  plans  of  mice  and  men  gang  aft  agley." 

Among  my  acquaintances  was  a  young  man  from 
Ohio,  who  had  temporary  employment  in  the  Treas 
ury  Department.  Gifted  with  a  fine  intellect,  and 


GRAND  TOUR  TO  BE  MADE  ON  FOOT.       5 

of  most  accomplished  and  engaging  manners,  he  was 
just  such  a  person  as  I  had  often  wished  to  have  as 
a  companion.  We  first  met  at  a  social  soiree ; 
and  in  a  very  short  time  I  found  that  he  was  a  man 
after  my  own  heart.  A  strong  friendship  sprang  up 
between  us.  We  visited  together,  disclosed  our 
feelings  and  plans  to  each  other,  spent  all  our  leisure 
hours  in  pleasant  conversation,  and  resolved  at  length 
to  travel  together,  if  we  could  contrive  some  means 

to  raise  a  sufficient  sum.     W ,  unfortunately, 

was  poor  like  myself. 

The  summer  was  now  well  advanced,  and  we 
agreed  it  should  not  close  before  our  departure,  even 
if  we  should  be  reduced  to  the  necessity  of  perform 
ing  our  grand  tour  on  foot.  The  latter,  it  is  true, 
was  rather  a  rash  determination,  considering  we  wrere 
not  gifted  with  the  power  of  the  Israelites,  who 
walked  across  the  Red  Sea.  For  the  purpose  of 
enjoying  our  prospects  without  interruption,  we 
spent  every  fine  evening  in  the  Capitol  Garden, 
where,  inspired  by  the  moonlight,  flowers,  shrubber 
ies,  and  murmuring  fountains,  we  talked  of  the  vari 
ous  surprising  things  we  were  going  to  do ;  how  we 
would  fall  in  with  some  extraordinary  chances  during 
our  travels,  make  our  fortunes,  marry  a  couple  of 
Arabian  princesses,  and  return  home  to  enjoy  our 
good  luck  in  peace,  and  excite  the  envy  and  admira 
tion  of  mankind  with  accounts  of  our  brilliant  ex 
ploits.  This  was  all  very  fine,  and  I  hope  it  will 
not  escape  the  reader's  memory. 


ROUTE    DETERMINED. 


Near  the  close  of  the  session,  finding  my  expenses 
and  profits  were  nearly  balanced,  I  resolved  to  re 
main  no  longer  in  Washington.  My  enthusiastic 
friend  was  ready  to  start  with  me  at  a  moment's  no 
tice.  Our  minds  were  soon  made  up  as  to  the  route 
and  means.  We  were  to  work  our  way  to  Europe, 
and,  once  there,  depend  upon  our  own  wits  for  suc 
cess  in  the  pursuit  of  our  object.  We  were  very 
enthusiastic  in  the  belief  that  energy  and  persever 
ance  would  overcome  all  the  obstacles  that  poverty 
might  throw  in  our  path. 

I  well  remember  the  night  previous  to  our  depart 
ure.  It  was  that  of  the  4th  of  July.  After  the  usual 
ceremonies  of  the  day,  there  was  a  grand  exhibition 
of  fire-works  in  the  President's  garden.  A  large 
concourse  of  citizens,  visitors,  members  of  Congress, 
and  diplomatic  characters,  had  assembled  on  the  ter 
race  of  the  Capitol  to  witness  the  brilliant  and  im 
posing  scene.  Some  kind  friend  had  circulated  a 
report  that  we  had  received  a  commission  from  his 
excellency,  Mr.  Tyler,  to  arrange  a  matter  of  great 
national  importance  with  the  government  of  Portu 
gal.  The  consequence  was,  that  several  of  our  dis 
tant  acquaintances,  who  had  formerly  recognized  us 
with  a  stiff  nod,  now  crowded  around  us,  and  bid  us 
good-by  in  the  kindest  manner  imaginable,  wishing 
us  a  most  cordial  reception  at  the  court  of  Donna 
Maria. 

Having  procured  passports  at  the  State  Depart 
ment,  we  took  our  departure  in  the  cars  early  on  the 


AMOUNT    OF    FUNDS   IN    POCKET.  7 

morning  of  the  5th  of  July,  1842.  As  it  was  not 
probable  we  could  find  a  vessel  in  Baltimore  bound 
for  Europe  immediately,  we  continued  on  to  Phila 
delphia,  where  we  spent  a  few  days,  and  obtained 
some  letters  of  introduction  from  a  friend  in  the  Cus 
tom-house  to  distinguished  gentlemen  in  different 
parts  of  Europe.  Finding  no  encouragement  in 
Philadelphia  for  tourists  with  slender  means,  we  pro 
ceeded  to  New  York. 

Our  joint  purse  on  leaving  Washington  amounted 
to  about  forty  dollars.  Of  course,  we  could  not  deny 
ourselves  the  gratification  of  visiting  the  various 
places  of  public  amusement ;  besides,  being  gentle 
men  up  to  that  time,  it  was  indispensable  that  we 
should  patronize  the  best  hotel,  ride  in  an  omnibus 
or  hack  whenever  we  did  not  feel  disposed  to  walk, 
and  be  liberal  with  servants  and  porters.  At  the  ex 
piration  of  a  few  days,  it  alarmed  us  to  find  that  we 
had  but  eight  dollars  left. 

Upon  application  for  temporary  employment,  with 
a  view  to  replenish  our  means,  we  learned  that  busi 
ness  was  very  dull,  and  young  men  were  glad  to 
avail  themselves  of  the  privilege  of  passing  their  time 
usefully  in  mercantile  houses  without  remuneration ; 
a  species  of  amusement  not  particularly  adapted  to 
our  circumstances.  With  clue  humiliation,  let  it  be 
told,  we  were  soon  reduced  to  the  necessity  either 
of  writing  to  our  friends  for  a  remittance,  or  of  being 
insulted  with  an  invitation  to  depend  upon  the  char 
ity  of  casual  acquaintances.  The  first  was  out  of 


8  DUTCH    SKIPPER. 

the  question ;  it  would  destroy  our  diplomatic  rep 
utation  ;  the  last  was  too  galling  to  our  pride  to  be 
entertained  for  a  moment. 

In  this  dilemma  we  strolled  down  to  the  shipping, 
and  went  on  board  a  vessel  bound  for  Bremen.  The 
captain,  a  jolly-looking  Dutchman,  sat  upon  the 
companion  way  smoking  his  pipe,  while  he  kept  his 
eye  upon  some  of  the  crew  who  were  at  wrork  on 
the  main  deck.  He  received  us  very  kindly,  and 
gave  us  much  information  on  the  subject  of  sea 
faring  life.  It  would  be  a  difficult  matter,  he  said, 
for  two  young  men  dressed  as  we  were  to  procure 
employment  on  board  a  merchantman  as  light  hands ; 
but  if  we  put  off  our  "  long  togs,"  and  went  to  work 
in  a  corn-field  for  about  three  months,  to  give  us  a 
hardy  look,  we  might  succeed.  Where  there  were 
upward  of  four  thousand  seamen  idling  about  the 
wharves,  it  would  be  no  easy  matter  for  "green 
landsmen"  to  make  a  voyage.  On  the  whole,  he 
gave  us  rather  an  unfavorable  idea  of  the  life  of  a 
sailor,  and  advised  us  to  try  something  else.  He 
thought  it  a  pity  that  young  gentlemen  of  education 
should  waste  their  time  in  a  pursuit  so  little  adapted 
to  their  physical  strength.  There  were  rough  fel 
lows  enough  in  the  world  who  could  do  that  sort  of 
work  better  than  persons  who  had  been  delicately 
raised. 

The  words  of  the  kind-hearted  old  skipper  made 
a  deep  impression  upon  our  minds,  and,  if  it  were 
not  for  sheer  shame,  and  the  pressing  nature  of  our 


PURSUIT    OF    A    CHANCE.  9 

circumstances,  we  would  have  abandoned  our  ro 
mantic  notions  at  once.  However,  we  felt  that  we 
were  in  for  it,  and  it  would  not  do  to  back  out. 
W ,  who  was  a  printer  by  trade,  had  made  sev 
eral  applications  at  the  printing-offices  for  employ 
ment,  but  without  success.  Nothing,  therefore,  re 
mained  for  us  but  the  prospect  of  getting  something 
to  do  on  board  a  ship.  It  made  no  material  differ 
ence  to  us  in  what  capacity  we  went ;  all  we  de 
sired  then  was  to  take  leave  of  New  York. 

The  rest  of  that  day  and  part  of  the  next  we 
spent  in  making  inquiries  at  the  ship  agencies  along 
the  wharves;  but  our  appearance,  combined  with 
our  anxiety  to  become  sailors,  excited  suspicion,  and 
the  answers  were  so  unsatisfactory  that  we  began  to 
despond.  I  noticed  that  the  old  tars,  who  were 
lounging  in  groups  about  these  offices,  smoking  their 
pipes,  and  chatting  in  a  nautical  style  of  language 
totally  incomprehensible  to  us,  eyed  us  slyly,  and 
winked  at  each  other  as  we  passed.  In  the  course 
of  a  few  months  we  very  well  understood  what  they 
meant. 

There  was  something  of  novelty  in  being  thrown 
upon  our  own  resources  in  a  large  city,  without  a 
single  friend  to  whom  we  could  look  for  aid.  Still, 
as  our  money  was  spun  out  to  a  few  dollars,  it  be 
came  necessary  to  leave  off  romancing,  and  bring 
our  ideas  down  to  the  level  of  our  circumstances. 

As  we  strolled  along  one  of  the  wharves,  casting 
wistful  glances  at  the  vessels  close  by,  and  now  and 

B 


10  WANTED    IMMEDIATELY. 

then  taking  a  peep  into  the  shipping-offices,  our  at 
tention  was  attracted  by  a  slip  of  paper  over  a  door 
bearing  the  following  important  intelligence  : 

"WANTED  IMMEDIATELY  ! !  ! 

"  Six  able-bodied  landsmen,  to  go  on  a  whaling 
voyage  from  New  Bedford.  Apply  up  stairs  before  5 
o  clock  P.M." 

This  was  somewhat  encouraging.  Indeed,  we 
thought  it  peculiarly  lucky.  It  suited  us  exactly. 
We  stopped  and  read  the  words  over  half  a  dozen 
times,  in  order  to  satisfy  ourselves  that  we  were  not 
mistaken  as  to  their  import.  But  here  was  the  dif 
ficulty  :  the  notice  said  able-bodied  landsmen.  Were 
we  of  that  description  ?  We  consulted  the  matter 
for  some  time,  and  at  last  came  to  the  conclusion 
that  light-bodied,  active  men,  with  a  considerable 
share  of  spunk,  ought  to  succeed  as  well  as  heavy- 
built  men.  We  accordingly  entered  the  office  with 
a  bold,  independent  air,  as  much  as  to  say,  we  knew 
what  we  were  about.  An  excessively  polite  old  gen 
tleman  of  prepossessing  appearance  received  us  with 
every  manifestation  of  cordiality.  In  answer  to  our 
inquiries  concerning  his  notice,  he  replied  : 

"  Yes,  gentlemen,  I  want  a  few  more  men.  Do 
you  think  of  shipping  ?" 

"  Why,  yes,  we  have  some  notion  of  it." 

"  The  very  best  thing  you  can  do ;  sorry  you  are 
not  a  little  stouter  ;  but  no  matter,  I  think  you'll  an 
swer  the  purpose.  I  just  received  a  letter  this  morn- 


ELOQUENT  AGENT. BOOKED  FOR  GOOD.     11 

ing  from  Mr. ,  the  whaling  agent  in  New  Bed 
ford,  requesting  me  to  send  on  two  light,  handsome 
fellows.  He  don't  care  so  much  about  their  weight, 
if  they're  good-looking ;  wants  them  for  a  small  ves 
sel,  you  see,  and  likes  to  have  a  nice  crew." 

"  Well,  you  think  we'll  do  ?" 

"  Oh  !  no  doubt  about  it.  I'm  willing  to  risk  you, 
though  I  may  lose  something  by  it.  Whaling,  gen 
tlemen,  is  tolerably  hard  at  first,  but  it's  the  finest 
business  in  the  world  for  enterprising  young  men. 
If  you  are  determined  to  take  a  voyage,  I'll  put  you 
in  the  way  of  shipping  in  a  most  elegant  vessel,  well 
fitted  :  that's  the  great  thing,  well  fitted.  Vigilance 
and  activity  will  insure  you  rapid  promotion.  I 
haven't  the  least  doubt  but  you'll  come  home  boat- 
steerers.  I  sent  off  six  college  students  a  few  days 
ago,  and  a  poor  fellow  who  had  been  flogged  away 
from  home  by  a  vicious  wife.  A  whaler,  gentle 
men,"  continued  the  agent,  rising  in  eloquence,  "  a 
whaler  is  a  place  of  refuge  for  the  distressed  and 
persecuted,  a  school  for  the  dissipated,  an  asylum 
for  the  needy !  There's  nothing  like  it.  You  can 
see  the  world  ;  you  can  see  something  of  life  !" 

The  enthusiastic  advocate  of  whalers  then  hand 
ed  us  a  paper,  which  we  immediately  signed  with 
out  reading,  not  wishing  to  give  him  time  even  to 
reflect  upon  his  bargain.  Promising  to  be  at  the 
office  by  half  past  four,  we  took  leave  of  our  worthy 
friend,  and  warmly  congratulated  each  other  upon 
having  accidentally  met  with  this  benevolent  old 


12  HURRY    MYSELF    TO    NEW    BEDFORD. 

gentleman,  who  not  only  smiled  upon  the  indiscre 
tions  of  youth,  but  forwarded  all  our  plans,  and  seem 
ed  ready  to  oblige  us  in  every  way.  From  a  man 
whom  we  had  never  seen  before,  all  this  was  cer 
tainly  very  gratifying. 

At  five  o'clock  on  the  same  evening  we  took  a 
passage  in  the  Cleopatra  for  Providence.  In  order 
that  particular  attention  might  be  paid  to  our  com 
fort — as  we  supposed,  but  in  reality  to  prevent  our 
escape — we  were  consigned  to  an  officer  on  board 
the  boat.  The  agent,  also,  to  enhance  our  enjoy 
ment,  sent  with  us  a  couple  of  entertaining  fellows, 
rather  rough  to  be  sure,  and  not  very  respectable  in 
their  appearance,  bound  on  the  same  delightful  mis 
sion.  For  all  this  we  felt  exceedingly  grateful  to 
our  benevolent  and  venerable  friend.  It  is  true,  we 
discovered  after  we  got  to  sea  that  he  had  forwarded 
a  bill  of  ten  dollars  to  the  New  Bedford  fitter,  to  be 
placed  on  our  account  with  the  owners.  As  we  had 
sold  one  of  our  trunks,  and  some  other  unnecessary 
articles,  the  proceeds  of  which  enabled  us  to  pay  our 
own  expenses,  we  could  not  clearly  see  what  this 
was  for ;  but  it  occurred  to  us,  after  a  great  deal  of 
deliberation,  that  it  was  a  kind  of  bounty  allowed 
by  the  city  council  to  the  agent  for  disposing  of  all 
vagrants  who  came  within  his  reach,  and  that  he  had, 
through  the  force  of  habit,  or  in  the  confusion  of  his 
multifarious  duties,  mistaken  us  for  persons  of  that 
description. 

On  our  passage  to  Providence,  the   steam-boat 


SALT  ADVICE    FROM    THE    LEE    SIDE.  13 

touched  at  Newport,  where  one  of  our  whalemen, 
who  had  made  a  raise  of  three  dollars  from  the  New 
York  agent — in  remembrance,  he  said,  of  a  whaling 
voyage  on  which  the  old  gentlemen  had  sent  him  a 
few  years  previously — privately  notified  us  of  his  in 
tention  to  "  visit  some  of  his  friends  up  town."  Not 
deeming  the  matter  within  our  cognizance,  we  left 
him  to  pursue  the  bent  of  his  inclination.  We  after 
ward  had  occasion  to  admire  the  sagacity,  though 
not  the  moral  obliquity  of  this  fellow.  Before  part 
ing  from  him,  he  gave  us  his  experience  as  a  whale 
man,  and  advised  us  not  to  be  gulled  by  fair  prom 
ises.  He  said  he  knew  a  thing  or  two  about  it; 
that  he  would  sooner  be  in  the  penitentiary  any 
time ;  and,  if  we  had  any  regard  for  ourselves,  we 
ought  to  turn  our  backs  upon  New  Bedford,  for  it 
was  the  sink-hole  of  iniquity ;  that  the  fitters  were 
all  blood-suckers,  the  owners  cheats,  and  the  cap 
tains  tyrants. 

This  was  another  damper.  The  warning  made  a 
deep  impression  upon  us,  and  we  often  thought  of  it 
when  at  sea. 

We  arrived  in  New  Bedford  without  suffering 
more  than  the  usual  wear  and  tear  to  which  all  arti 
cles  of  traffick  consigned  from  one  sea-port  town  to 
another  are  subject. 


14  BENEVOLENT   FITTER-OUT. 


lif 


CHAPTER  II. 


A  new  Friend. — Examination  by  the  Fitter. — A  Sailor's  Boarding- 
house. — Jolly  set  of  Whalemen. — Captain  Bill  Salt. — Our  first 
Lesson  in  Lunars.  —  A  Song.  —  The  Fitter's  Kindness.  —  The 
Barque  Styx  and  Owners. — Fine  Promises. — Weigh  Anchor. — 
Repentance. 

I  HAVE  not  the  conscience  to  pass  over  in  silence 
the  disinterested  generosity  of  the  New  Bedford  fit 
ter.  His  benevolence  surpassed  even  that  of  the 
amiable  old  gentlemen  in  New  York.  When  we 
first  presented  ourselves  for  inspection,  he  was  a  lit 
tle  bluff,  to  be  sure,  but  that  was  only  one  of  his 
good-natured  peculiarities. 

"  Why,"  said  he,  surveying  us  with  professional 
deliberation,  "you  are  not  the  men  I  wrote  for.  I 
want  stout,  hard-fisted  fellows,  who  ain't  afraid  to 
work.  Such  slim  chaps  as  you  won't  do  at  all !" 

"  That's  rather  hard,  sir  ;  here  we  are  without  the 
means  of  getting  back ;  and  now,  after  the  New 
York  agent  telling  us  you  would  take  us,  you  say  we 
won't  do." 

"  What  do  I  care  about  the  New  York  agent  ?" 
replied  the  fitter.  "  It's  his  own  look-out,  and  yours, 
if  he  don't  send  proper  men.  I'm  not  bound  to  take 
you  at  all ;  and  I  won't  take  you,  if  I  don't  like." 

"  Well,  you'll  pay  our  expenses  back,  then  1" 

At  this  the  fitter  laughed  very  heartily. 


WEIGHED    TO    ORDER.  15 

"  No,  no,  my  good  fellows ;  can't  do  that.  I  see 
you  don't  understand  this  business.  What  do  you 
weigh  r 

We  gave  him  our  weight,  but  it  did  not  seem  to 
satisfy  him  exactly.  He  shook  his  head  with  a 
doubtful  look,  as  much  as  to  say  he  had  no  great  re 
spect  for  men  who  did  not  weigh  considerably  over 
our  standard.  He  then  punched  us  with  his  fist, 
shook  us  by  the  arms,  and,  after  some  farther  experi 
ments  by  way  of  testing  our  muscular  powers,  told 
us  what  there  was  of  us  was  pretty  good,  "  but  there 
wasn't  enough."  Directing  us  next  to  walk  up  and 
down  his  long  store-room,  he  planted  himself  against 
a  pile  of  boxes,  and  watched  our  gait  with  the  prac 
ticed  eye  of  a  jockey  about  to  make  a  speculation  in 
horse-flesh.  Apparently  satisfied,  he  ventured  the 
opinion  that  we  might  do  ;  at  all  events,  he  would 
exert  his  influence  in  our  behalf  with  the  owners. 

A  clerk  who  sat  in  the  counting-room,  blowing  his 
very  soul  through  a  cracked  fife,  was  then  directed 

to  show  us  to  old  Captain  R rs  boarding-house. 

Here  we  found  a  most  jovial  company  ;  not  very  se 
lect,  but  remarkably  free  and  easy.  Among  others, 
I  recollect  Red  Sandy,  Blue  John,  Long-legged  Bill, 
Big -foot  Jack,  Chaw -o'- tobacco  Jim,  Handsome 
Tom,  and  one  of  our  steam-boat  acquaintances,  who 
had  already  obtained  the  soubriquet  of  Bully  Clinch 
er  ;  besides  four  lively  house-maids,  whom  the  sailors 
called  Mag,  Moll,  Bet,  and  Peg,  and  with  whom 
they  seemed  to  be  on  the  most  friendly  terms. 


16  THE   BOARDING-HOUSE. 

Our  fellow-boarders,  when  the  fact  became  known 
that  we  were  about  to  go  to  sea,  entertained  them 
selves  with  sundry  jests  at  our  expense,  all  of  which 
we  took  with  the  utmost  good  humor.  This  com 
pletely  disarmed  them.  We  were  shrewd  enough  to 
suspect  their  object,  which,  as  we  afterward  learn 
ed,  was  to  get  us  angry,  and  then,  according  to  cus 
tom,  give  us  a  sound  drubbing.  Sailors  have  an  in 
veterate  dislike  to  young  sprigs,  who,  when  placed 
upon  a  level  with  them,  assume  airs  of  superiority. 
By  guarding  against  this,  we  became  great  favorites. 
I  must  not  omit,  however,  to  mention  one  of  the  in 
itiatory  movements.  While  standing  at  the  door, 
the  first  evening  after  our  arrival,  we  overheard  the 
comments  made  upon  ourselves  and  our  mission. 

"  I  say,  Bill,v  said  one,  "  there's  a  pair  of  bloody 
tars  for  you  !  They'll  be  slushin'  down  the  t'gallant 
mast  before  long,  or  I'm  out  o'  my  reckoning." 

"Ay,  ay,"  replied  Bill;  "better  they  never  was 
weaned,  than  go  driftin'  round  the  world  in  a  blubber 
hunter." 

"  Never  mind,"  added  another,  "  they'll  wish  them 
selves  in  the  watch-house  before  two  months." 

With  these  and  other  remarks  of  the  kind  they 
amused  themselves  for  some  time,  when  one  of  the 
party,  a  regular  old  sea-dog,  with  a  tremendous  quid 
of  tobacco  in  his  cheek,  waddled  up  to  us,  and,  star 
ing  us  in  the  face,  exclaimed, 

"  Well,  cuss  me  if  these  ain't  the  lob-lolly  boys  wot 
sarved  in  one  of  my  ships.  I  say,  my  lads,  don't  you 


JOLLY    WHALEMEN.  17 

know  jour  old  skipper  ?     I'm  Captain  Bill  Salt,  wot 
used  to  larn  you  Lunars.     Don't  you  know  me  ?" 

"  No  ;  you  must  be  mistaken.  We  have  never 
been  to  sea." 

"  Now  I'm  shivered  if  that  ar'n't  strange  !"  cried 
Captain  Bill  Salt ;  "  if  you  ain't  my  lob-lolly  boys,  I 
never  seed  'em." 

"  Nevertheless,  we  are  not.     B is  my  name, 

and  W is  my  friend's." 

"  Well,  just  as  good.     You  was  both  born  to  go  to 
sea.      Come,  let's   splice    the  main  brace.      Come 
along,  shipmates  !  I'm  agoin'  to  give  these  'ere  youngf 
gentlemen  the  first  lesson  in  Lunars." 

Captain  Bill  Salt's  manner  was,  to  say  the  least 
of  it,  very  friendly.  We  thought  it  best  not  to  re 
fuse  his  polite  invitation.  The  sailors  followed  their 
comrade,  who  led  the  way  to  a  chop-cellar  a  short 
distance  from  the  boarding-house. 

"  Come,  all  hands,  what'll  you  take  ?     Don't  be 

shy.     What  d'ye  say,  shipmates,"  addressing  W 

and  myself;  "  close-reef  or  sea-breeze  1" 

"  Close-reef,"  said  we,  at  a  guess. 

"  Bravo  !"  cried  Captain  Bill,  grasping  each  of  us 
by  the  hand;  "you'll  see  the  stars  yet!  If  you 
ain't  sailors,  it's  the  'fects  of  eddecation  or  s'ciety, 
wot's  all  the  same.  Come,  here's  a  toast : 

„    '  Be  cheery,  my  lads  !  may  your  hearts  never  fail 
While  the  bold  harpooneer  is  striking  the  whale  !'  " 

The  toast  was  duly  honored ;  and  we  discover 
ed,  when  we  emptied  our  glasses,  that  "  close-reef" 

C 


18  CAPTAIN    SALT. 

was  something  very  strong.  Big-foot  Jack.  Chaw- 
o'-tobacco  Jim,  Handsome  Tom,  Red  Sandy,  and  the 
rest  of  our  jolly  friends,  then  seated  themselves  and 
called  for  cigars.  Captain  Bill  Salt  told  us  to  do 
likewise ;  and,  taking  out  his  pipe,  he  soon  enveloped 
himself  in  a  comfortable  cloud  of  smoke.  Without 
waiting  for  the  ceremony  of  an  invitation,  he  gave 
vent  to  the  following  ditty,  a  copy  of  which  I  after 
ward  procured  from  him : 

"PARTING  MOMENTS. 

"  Farewell,  my  lovely  Nancy, 
Ten  thousand  times  adjeu  ! 
I'm  agoing  for  to  cross  the  ocean 

In  sarch  of  something  new. 
Come,  change  a  ring  wid  me,  my  dear, 

Come,  change  a  ring  wid  me  ; 
And  that  will  be  my  fond  toaken 
When  I  am  on  the  sea — 

When  I  am  on  the  sea, 

And  you  don't  know  where  I  bo. 

Now  one  fond  kiss,  my  Nancy  dear, 

Now  one  fond  kiss  for  me, 
Before  I  go  for  to  begin 

To  roam  upon  the  sea. 
And  hear  this  secret  of  my  heart : 

Wid  the  best  of  my  good-will, 
Be  where  it  may,  this  poor  body, 

Is  yourn,  sweet  Nancy,  still — 

Is  yourn,  sweet  Nancy,  still, 
Wid  the  best  of  my  good-will." 

This  song  elicited  the  most  rapturous  applause. 
Captain  Bill  then  spun  us  some  tough  yarns,  while 
the  company  slipped  out  one  by  one.  As  we  were 
about  to  leave,  the  bar-keeper  called  us  aside,  and 


PAY    THE    SHOT.  19 

politely  requested  my  friend  and  myself  to  pay  the 
reckoning,  assuring  us  that  it  was  customary,  when 
young  gentlemen  were  about  to  go  on  a  voyage,  to 
treat  all  hands.  We  accordihgly  gave  him  our  last 
cent,  and  were  not  a  little  edified  at  the  cool  manner 
in  w7hich  Captain  Bill  Salt  witnessed  the  operation. 
Though  our  confidence  in  that  eccentric  individual 
was  a  little  shaken,  we  took  the  whole  proceeding 
as  a  very  good  joke,  and  laughed  to  think  how 
cleverly  we  had  been  gulled.  Thus  ended  our  "  first 
lesson  in  Lunars." 

Our  friend,  the  fitter,  was  a  most  accommodating 
man.  With  a  delicate  appreciation  of  our  pecuni 
ary  embarrassments,  he  paid  our  board,  furnished  us 
with  every  little  luxury  we  wanted,  lent  us  his  pleas 
ure-boat  to  sail  in,  told  us  he  would  make  our  ex 
penses  all  right  with  the  owners,  and  gave  us  a  great 
deal  of  fatherly  advice  about  our  conduct  at  sea.  In 
addition  to  all  this  kindness,  he  considerately  pro 
vided  us  with  chests  and  sea-clothes  at  a  terrible 
sacrifice,  being  at  least  ten  per  cent,  cheaper  than 
we  could  get  them  elsewhere.  Besides,  the  mere 
fact  of  his  crediting  total  strangers  seemed  so  gener 
ous,  so  confiding,  so  high-minded  ! 

The  only  vessel  about  to  sail  immediately  was  the 
barque  Styx,*  of  Fair  Haven.  Through  the  exer 
tions  of  our  excellent  friend,  the  fitter,  the  owners, 

*  Some  of  the  incidents  related  in  this  narrative  render  it  advisable 
that  I  should  mention  no  real  names,  except  where  the  parties  can 
not  take  offense. 


20  GREAT    THINGS    PROMISED. 

apparently  with  great  reluctance,  agreed  to  take  us. 
They  told  us  the  vessel  was  well  fitted ;  better,  in 
fact,  than  any  vessel  we  could  find.  One,  of  them, 
an  old  Quaker,  assure'd  us  no  whaler  had  ever  sail 
ed  from  New  Bedford  or  Fair  Haven  as  well  fitted ; 
he  had  attended  to  it  all  himself,  and,  we  might  de 
pend  upon  it,  we  would  live  in  style.  The  captain, 
we  learned  from  them,  was  a  young  man,  pretty 
strict  in  his  discipline,  but  a  fine,  generous  fellow. 
He  would  treat  us  well,  and  give  us  plenty  to  eat ; 
and,  if  we  made  ourselves  useful,  he  would  be  very 
kind  to  us.  He  was  a  first-rate  whaleman,  and  no 
doubt  we  would  make  a  good  voyage,  and  come 
home  in  a  year  or  a  year  and  a  half  with  lots  of 
money  due  to  us.  The  vessel  was  a  hundred  and 
forty-seven  tons  burden,  and  calculated  to  hold  a 
thousand  barrels  of  oil.  We  were  to  receive  the  or 
dinary  lay  of  green  hands,  being,  as  we  wrere  told, 
the  one  hundred  and  thirtieth  part  of  the  oil  taken. 
There  was  provision  enough  on  board  to  last  for 
twenty-seven  months,  so  that,  if  not.  successful,  there 
was  no  danger  of  our  starving.  We  were  to  have 
what  clothes  we  needed  out  of  the  slop-chest  at  the 
New  Bedford  prices.  The  shipping  articles  were 
then  presented  to  us,  and  we  signed  them  without 
exhibiting  any  such  ungentlemanly  want  of  confi 
dence  in  the  representations  of  the  owners  as  to 
read  the  contents ;  besides,  we  were  afraid,  as  they 
had  accepted  us  so  reluctantly,  some  difficulty  might 
arise  by  which  we  would  be  deprived  of  the  pleas- 


WEIGH   ANCHOR.  21 

ure  of  performing  a  voyage  under  such  pleasant 
auspices.  The  signing  of  the  articles  we  regarded 
as  a  sort  of  security. 

With  sanguine  hopes  and  enthusiastic  dreams  of 
adventure  we  bade  good-by  to  our  New  Bedford 
friends,  and,  on  the  morning  of  July  — ,  embarked. 
The  Styx  lay  in  the  middle  of  the  Acoshnet  River, 
opposite  the  town  of  New  Bedford. 

At  2  P.M.  all  hands  were  called  to  the  windlass, 
and  we  weighed  anchor.  A  light  breeze  slowly 
wafted  us  out  into  Buzzard's  Bay.  The  shipping  at 
the  New  Bedford  wharf  became  gradually  indistinct, 
and  the  houses  looked  misty  in  the  distance.  It  was 
a  beautiful  Sabbath  afternoon.  The  church  bells 
were  tolling  a  melancholy  farewell;  and  I  shall  never 

forget  the  look  W gave  me  as  he  pointed  to  the 

receding  shores,  and  observed,  in  a  melancholy  tone, 
"I  have  unhappy  thoughts.  It  seems  to  me  those 
familiar  sounds  call  us  back.  But  we  are  too  late ; 
it  is  useless  to  repent  now."  My  feelings  were 
touched ;  the  whole  past  was  before  me  in  a  moment : 
friends,  brothers,  sisters,  all !  I  would  have  given  all 
I  ever  hoped  to  possess  to  retrace  a  few  hours  of  my 
life. 

"  Too  late — too  late  !  how  heavily  that  phrase 
Comes,  like  a  knell,  upon  the  shuddering  ear, 

Telling  of  slighted  duties,  wasted  days  ; 
Of  privileges  lost,  of  hopes  once  dear, 

Now  quenched  in  gloom  and  darkness — " 


22  OUR    CAPTAIN. 


CHAPTER  III. 

A  Sketch  of  our  Captain. — First  Night  at  Sea. — Remedy  for  Sea 
sickness. — The  Calcutta  Hole  outdone. — Stormy  Weather. — The 
Gulf  Stream. — Reefing  in  a  Gale. — Vain  Regrets. — Rough  Fare. 
— Voracity  of  the  Portuguese. 

TOWARD  evening  the  captain  came  on  board  in  a 
pilot-boat,  and  took  charge  of  the  vessel.  I  had  not 
seen  him  before,  and  of  course  felt  a  curiosity  to 
know  what  sort  of  a  looking  man  he  was.  The 
owners  had  spoken  in  such  glowing  terms  of  him 
that,  I  must  confess,  he  did  not  altogether  realize  my 
expectations.  His  personal  appearance  was  any 
thing  but  prepossessing.  Picture  to  yourself  a  man 
apparently  about  thirty-five  years  of  age,  with  a 
hooked  nose,  dark  crop  hair,  large  black  whiskers, 
round  shoulders,  cold  blue  eyes,  and  a  shrewd,  repul 
sive  expression  of  countenance ;  of  a  lean  and  mus 
cular  figure,  rather  taller  than  the  ordinary  standard, 
with  ill-made,  wiry  limbs,  and  you  have  a  pretty  cor 
rect  idea  of  Captain  A .  He  wore  a  broad- 
brimmed  Panama  hat,  turned  up  at  the  sides,  a  green 
roundabout,  a  pair  of  dirty  duck  pantaloons,  very 
wide  at  the  bottom,  and  slip-shod  shoes,  which  had 
evidently  done  service  for  two  or  three  voyages.  He 
walked  the  quarter-deck  with  his  hands  in  his 
pockets,  his  eyes  down,  and  his  lips  firmly  com 
pressed.  Altogether  he  had  a  sneaking,  hang-dog 


FIRST    IVICHT    AT    SEA. SICK.  23 

look  that  was  not  very  encouraging  to  those  destined 
to  be  subject  to  his  will  during  a  year's  cruise,  or  per 
haps  longer.  When  he  gave  orders,  it  was  in  a 
sharp,  harsh  voice,  with  a  vulgar,  nasal  twang,  and 
in  such  a  manner  as  plainly  betokened  that  he  con 
sidered  us  all  slaves  of  the  lowest  cast,  unworthy  of 
the  least  respect,  and  himself  our  august  master. 

Night  closed  upon  us  with  rough  and  cloudy 
weather.  By  morning  we  had  a  heavy,  chopping 
sea,  and  began  to  experience  all  the  horrors  of  sea 
sickness.  The  mate,  a  stout,  bluff-looking  English 
man,  with  a  bull  neck,  kept  us  in  continual  motion, 
and  gave  us  plenty  of  hard  work  to  do,  clearing  up 
the  decks,  bracing  the  yards,  stowing  down  the  loose 
rubbish,  and  otherwise  making  the  vessel  tidy  and 
ship-shape.  He  bellowed  forth  his  orders  to  the 
men  in  the  rigging  like  a  roaring  lion,  yelled  and 
swore  at  the  "  green  hands"  in  the  most  alarming 
manner,  and  pulled  at  the  ropes  as  if  determined  to 
tear  the  wrhole  vessel  to  pieces.  The  loungers  or 
"  sogers"  had  no  chance  at  all  with  him  ;  he  actually 
made  them  jump  as  if  suddenly  galvanized.  For  the 
sea-sick  he  had  no  sympathy  whatever. 

"  Stir  yourselves  ;  jump  about ;  pull,  haul,  work 
like  vengeance !"  he  would  say,  in  the  bluff,  hearty 
voice  of  a  man  who  appeared  to  think  sickness  all 
folly ;  "  that's  the  way  to  cure  it.  You'll  never  get 
wrell  if  you  give  up  to  it.  Tumble  about  there ! 
Work  it  off,  as  I  do!n 

To  the  haggard,  woe-begone  landsmen,  who  stag- 


24  STEWED    IN    THE    FORECASTLE. 

gered  about  groaning  under  their  afflictions,  this 
sounded  very  much  like  mockery.  For  my  part,  I 
thought  the  mate  a  great  monster  to  talk  about  sick 
ness,  with  a  face  as  red  as  a  turkey-cock's  snout. 

After  a  day  of  horrors  such  as  I  had  never  spent 
before,  we  were  permitted  to  go  below  for  the  night. 
Our  condition  was  not  improved  by  the  change. 
The  forecastle  was  black  and  slimy  with  filth,  very 
small,  and  as  hot  as  an  oven.  It  was  filled  with  a 
compound  of  foul  air,  smoke,  sea-chests,  soap-kegs, 
greasy  pans,  tainted  meat,  Portuguese  ruffians,  and 
sea-sick  Americans.  The  Portuguese  were  smok 
ing,  laughing;,  chattering,  and  cursing  the  green 
hands  who  were  sick.  With  groans  on  one  side, 
and  yells,  oaths,  laughter  and  smoke  on  the  other,  it 

altogether  did  not  impress  W and  myself  as  a 

very  pleasant  home  for  the  next  year  or  two.  We 
were,  indeed,  sick  and  sorry  enough,  and  heartily 
wished  ourselves  ashore. 

Nothing  can  be  more  bewildering  to  a  youth, 
whose  imagination  naturally  magnifies  all  the  dan 
gers  of  the  deep,  than  to  be  roused  up  in  the  dead 
of  night,  when  the  ocean  is  lashed  into  a  fury  by  a 
stiff  gale,  the  vessel  pitching  and  laboring,  and  the 
officers  yelling  at  the  men  as  if  endeavoring  to  drown 
the  roaring  of  the  elements  with  loud,  fierce  impre 
cations,  while  thick  darkness  enshrouds  all — dark 
ness  so  dense,  that,  but  for  momentary  flashes  of 
lightning,  one  might  fancy  chaos  had  come  again. 
Such  was  the  novel  and  startling  scene  that  burst 


"TUMBLE    UP"    IN    A    STORM.  25 

upon  us  with  all  its  wildness  on  the  night  of  the 
19th. 

"  We  were  dead  of  sleep, 

And  (how  we  knew  not)  all  clapped  under  hatches, 
Where,  with  strange  and  several  noises 
Of  roaring,  shrieking,  howling,  jingling  chains, 
And  more  diversity  of  sounds  all  horrible. 
We  were  awaked." 

Sea-sick  and  harassed  after  a  hard  day's  work,  we 
had  gladly  availed  ourselves  of  a  few  hours'  respite 
from  duties  so  laborious.  The  mate  came  to  the 
scuttle,  and,  with  half  a  dozen  tremendous  raps, 
roared  at  us  to  bear  a  hand.  "  Tumble  up,  every 
mother's  son  of  you,  and  take  in  sail.  Out  with  you, 
green  hands  and  all.  We  won't  have  any  sick 
aboard  here.  You  didn't  come  to  sea  to  lay  up.  No 
groaning  there,  or  I'll  be  down  after  you.  D'ye 
hear  the  news  down  below  ?  Tumble  up  !  tumble 
up,  my  lively  hearties !" 

There  was  no  refusing  so  peremptory  a  command 
as  this,  little  as  we  liked  it.  Without  exactly  tum 
bling  up,  we  contrived,  with  some  difficulty,  to  gain 
the  deck,  for  the  vessel  pitched  so  violently  that  few 
of  the  green  hands  could  keep  their  feet  under  them. 
I  shall  never  forget  the  bewilderment  with  which  I 
looked  around  me.  We  were  in  the  Gulf  Stream, 
enshrouded  in  darkness  and  spray.  The  sea  broke 
over  our  bows,  and  swept  the  decks  with  a  tremen 
dous  roar.  Momentary  flashes  of  lightning  added  to 
the  sublimity  of  the  scene.  When  I  looked  over 
the  bulwarks,  it  seemjpl  to  me  that  the  horizon  was 

D 


26  WILD    NIGHT. 

flying  up  in  the  clouds  and  whirling  round  the  ves 
sel  by  turns,  and  the  clouds,  as  if  astonished  at  such 
wild  pranks,  appeared  to  be  shaking  their  dark  heads 
backward  and  forward  over  the  horizon.  I  looked 
aloft,  and  there  the  sky  was  sweeping  to  and  fro  in 
a  most  unaccountable  manner.  The  vessel  went 
staggering  along,  creaking,  groaning,  and  thumping 
its  way  through  the  heavy  seas. 

I  grasped  the  first  rope  I  could  get  hold  of,  and 
held  on  with  the  tenacity  of  a  drowning  man.  For 
a  few  moments  I  could  do  nothing  but  gasp  for 
breath,  and  wipe  the  salt  water  out  of  my  eyes  with 
one  hand  while  I  held  on  with  the  other.  The  con 
fusion  of  voices  and  objects  around  me,  the  tremen 
dous  seas  sweeping  over  the  decks,  and  the  flapping 
of  the  sails,  impressed  me  with  the  belief  that  we 
were  all  about  to  be  lost.  I  kept  my  grasp  on  the 
rope,  thinking  it  must  be  fast  to  something,  and,  if 
the  ship  foundered,  I  should  at  least  be  sure  of  a 

piece  of  the  wreck.     As  for  my  comrade  W ,  I 

supposed  he  was  still  on  board,  and  called  for  him 
with  all  my  might;  but  the  wind  drove  my  voice 
back  in  my  throat.  While  standing  in  this  unpleas 
ant  predicament,  the  mate  came  rushing  by,  shout 
ing  to  the  green  hands  to  "  tumble  up  aloft,  and  lay 
out  on  the  yards  !"  Aloft  such  a  night,  and  for  the 
first  time !  Was  the  man  mad  ?  The  very  idea 
seemed  preposterous.  Presently  he  came  dashing 
back,  thundering  forth  his  orders  with  the  ferocity 
of  a  Bengal  tiger.  "Up  wj|jj  you!  Every  man 


FIRST    LESSON    AT    CLIMBING    THE    SHROUDS.      27 

tumble  up !  Don't  stand  gaping  like  a  parcel  of 
boobies  !  Aloft  there,  before  the  sails  are  blown  to 
Halifax !"  Knowing  how  useless  it  would  be  to  re 
monstrate,  and  believing  I  might  as  well  die  one 
way  as  another,  I  sprang  up  on  the  weather  bulwark 
and  commenced  the  terrible  ascent.  The  darkness 
was  so  dense  that  I  could  scarcely  see  the  ratlins, 
and  it  was  only  by  groping  my  way  in  the  wake  of 
those  before  me,  that  I  could  at  all  make  out  where 
I  was  going.  A  few  accidental  kicks  in  the  face 
from  an  awkward  fellow  who  was  above  me,  and  a 
punch  or  -two  from  another  below  me,  convinced 
me  that  I  was  in  company,  at  all  events.  How  I 
contrived  to  drag  myself  over  the  foretop,  I  do  not 
well  remember.  By  a  desperate  exertion,  however, 
I  succeeded,  and  holding  on  to  every  rope  I  could 
get  hold  of  with  extraordinary  tenacity,  I  at  length 
found  myself  on  the  foot-rope,  leaning  over  the  yard, 
and  clinging  to  one  of  the  reef-points,  fully  deter 
mined  not  to  part  company  with  that  in  spite  of  the 
captain,  mate,  or  whole  ship's  company.  "  Haul  out 
to  leeward  !"  roared  somebody  to  my  right ;  "  knot 
away  !"  This  was  all  Greek  to  me.  A  sailor  close 
by  good-naturedly  showed  me  what  I  was  to  do,  and 
having  knotted  my  reef-point,  I  looked  down  to  see 
what  was  the  prospect  of  getting  on  deck  again. 
The  barque  was  keeled  over  at  an  angle  of  forty-five 
degrees,  plunging  madly  through  the  foam,  and  I 
could  form  no  idea  of  the  bearings  of  the  deck.  All 
I  could  see  was  a  long  dark  object  below,  half  hid- 


28 


I\7ICE    FARE. 


den  in  the  raging  brine.  My  right-hand  neighbor 
gave  me  a  hint  to  get  in  out  of  the  way,  which  re 
quired  no  repetition,  for  I  found  my  situation  any 
thing  but  pleasant.  By  the  time  I  reached  the  fore- 
top  my  head  was  pretty  well  battered,  and  my  hands 
were  woefully  skinned  and  bruised,  the  sailors  hav 
ing  made  free  use  of  me  to  accelerate  their  down 
ward  progress. 

I  found,  on  gaining  the  forecastle,  that  my  friend 

W had  passed  through  the  ordeal  in  safety. 

We  said  nothing,  but  looked  our  unqualified  disap 
probation  of  such  a  life.  The  Portuguese,  to  make 
matters  still  \vorse,  laughed  heartily  at  the  sorry  figure 
we  cut,  and  told  us  all  this  "was  nothing  to  what 
we'd  see  yet." 

Next  day  the  green  hands,  including  my  friend 
and  myself,  looked  haggard  enough.  We  were  all 
dreadfully  sea-sick.  Our  fare  was  by  no  means  in 
viting  under  such  circumstances.  For  breakfast  we 
had  an  abominable  compound  of  water,  some  molas 
ses,  and  something  dignified  by  the  name  of  coffee, 
with  hard  biscuit  and  watery  potatoes  ;  for  dinner 
pork,  salt  beef,  and  potatoes ;  and  for  supper,  a  repe 
tition  of  the  biscuit  and  potatoes,  with  boiled  weeds 
and  molasses  as  a  substitute  for  tea  and  sugar.  It 
was  perfectly  amazing  the  voracity  with  which  the 
Portuguese  devoured  this  fare.  Had  they  whetted 
their  appetites  for  months  on  raw  corn  they  could 
not  have  swallowed  such  food  as  was  now  before 
them  with  more  relish.  I  must  confess,  their  digest- 


YANKEE    MACK.  29 

ive  powers  excited  my  envy  as  well  as  my  astonish 
ment.  It  made  me  despair  to  see  them  eat.  I 
would  have  given  all  I  expected  to  make  during  the 
voyage  to  possess  their  swinish  relish  for  food.  How- 
.ever,  before  the  expiration  of  two  months,  I  had  rea 
son  to  change  my  tune.  I  wrould  have  given  twice 
as  much  to  get  rid  of  my  appetite  ! 

We  had  on  board  a  Yankee  boy,  who  afforded 

much  amusement  to  the  crew.  MacF ,  or,  as  he 

was  called  for  shortness,  Mack,  was  a  down-east 
chap  from  "  away  up  Maine,"  somewhere  in  the 
neighborhood  of  sunrise.  Had  Nature  been  in  her 
most  whimsical  mood,  she  could  not  have  formed  a 
greater  curiosity  than  Mack,  in  every  respect.  He 
was  an  odd  specimen  of  the  "  live  Yankee."  Imagine 
a  gawky  youth  of  nineteen,  with  arms  reaching  down 
to  his  knees,  tremendous  wrist  bones  and  hands,  a 
lank  visage,  shins  like  drum-sticks,  and  feet  moulded 
for  a  giant,  but  placed  by  mistake  under  the  afore 
said  shins,  and  you  have  a  fair  representation  of  his 
outward  man.  Mack,  notwithstanding  these  freaks 
of  Nature,  was  a  general  favorite.  Nothing  could 
ruffle  his  good  humor.  His  awkwardness  and  quaint 
wit  were  irresistible.  I  doubt  if  Yankee  Hill  or  Dan 
Marble  ever  had  a  better  model. 

Mack  was  \voefully  sea-sick.  The  poor  fellow's 
face  was  the  very  picture  of  sorrow.  His  skin,  nat 
urally  dark,  had  assumed  a  greenish  hue,  and  his  lank 
cheeks  and  protruded  lips  formed  a  most  pathetic 
picture  of  rueful  retrospection.  Sick  as  I  was  my- 


30         SALT   WATER   NO    CURE   FOR   SEA-SICKNESS. 

self,  I  could  not  repress  my  risibles,  when,  leaning 
over  the  monkey-rail,  squaring  accounts  with  old 
Nep,  he  paused  every  moment  to  exclaim,  "  There  ! 
durn  it  all,  I  know'd  I  was  goin'  to  be  sick.  Oh, 
gosh  !  oh,  gosh  !" 

Poor  Mack !  From  the  bottom  of  my  heart  I 
sympathized  with  him  as  he  groaned,  "  Dod  burn  the 
thing !  I  wouldn't  grudge  twenty  dollars  if  I  was  at 
hum  milkin'  the  keows." 

"  Why,  Mack,"  I  inquired,  "  you  are  not  tired  of 
whaling  already,  are  you  ?" 

"  Well,  I  can't  say,  exacly ;  but  I  guess  this  child 
won't  be  caught  in  such  a  snap  agin ;  not  soon  he 
won't.  Oh,  gosh  !  gosh !  Dod  blame  the  luck  ! 
'T  ain't  no  use  to  try ;  folks  says  salt  water  helps  it 
some,  but,  durn  the  thing,  I've  swallered  a  bucket 
ful,  an'  I  feel  a  devilish  sight  worse  an'  ever." 

"  Maybe  you  haven't  swallowed  enough,  Mack," 
said  the  cook ;  "  try  another  bucketful,  and,  likely 
as  not,  it'll  cure  you." 

"  No,  I  won't !"  retorted  Mack  ;  "  cause,  durn  the 
stuff,  'twarn't  never  made  for  nothin'  in  human  shape. 
I  wish  I  hadn't  never  seen  a  drop  on't.  Salt  water! 
Ugh  !  Oh,  gosh  !  oh,  gosh  !" 

"What  induced  you  to  ship  on  a  whaling  voy 
age  T  I  asked,  forgetting  my  own  folly.  "  Why  didn't 
you  stay  at  home,  Mack,  where  you  were  better 
off?" 

"  Well,  I  don't  know.  I  came  because  I  was  a 
dod-burned  fool ;  an'  I  s'pose  you  hadn't  no  better 


TROUBLE    ON    BOARD.  31 

reason.     Nobody  hadn't  oughter  leave  hum.     Folks 
that  be  hum  can't  do  better  than  stay  thai*'." 

I  made  no  farther  attempts  to  be  witty  at  Mack's 
expense  on  this  occasion. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

Trouble  on  Board. — Choking  a  Seaman. — All  Hands  called  Aft. — A 
Scene  in  the  Waist. — Laying  down  the  Law. — Duplicity  of  the 
Owners.  —  Choosing  Watches.  —  Preparations  for  the  Whaling 
Ground. — Fatiguing  Exercises. 

AMONG  the  foremast  hands  was  a  man  from 
Charleston,  South  Carolina,  by  the  name  of  Smith. 
According  to  his  own  representation,  he  had  served 
as  steward  in  some  of  the  schooners  running  from 
Charleston  to  New  York.  He  professed  to  be  well 
acquainted  with  ship  duties,  and  his  name  was  down 
on  the  papers  as  ordinary  seaman.  A  boy  from  Fall 
River,  who  had  shipped  as  steward,  was  so  sea-sick 
as  to  be  unable  to  do  duty.  The  captain  sent  the 
mate  forward  to  procure  a  temporary  substitute  from 
among  the  crew.  Smith  was  selected,  and  ordered 
aft  to  act  as  steward  until  the  recovery  of  the  boy. 
He  resolutely  refused  to  act  in  that  capacity,  stating 
that  he  had  shipped  as  an  ordinary  seaman,  and 
wTould  remain  before  the  mast.  The  mate,  upon  re 
porting  his  refusal,  was  sent  forward  to  make  him 
turn  out  at  all  hazards.  Smith  was  very  ill  at  the 


32  CHOKING    A    CHARLESTON    MAN. 

time,  and  the  mate,  not  wishing  to  be  hard  with  him, 
did  not  resort  to  force.  No  threats,  however,  had 
any  effect  upon  him.  He  steadily  refused  to  act  as 
stewrard,  and  stated,  moreover,  that  he  was  unable 
to  do  duty  of  any  kind,  and  would  not  be  forced 
on  deck  until  sufficiently  recovered  from  his  illness. 
The  captain  then  came  forward  to  the  scuttle,  and 
called  upon  him,  in  a  peremptory  voice,  to  turn  out. 

"  I'm  sick ;  I'll  not  go  on  deck !"  said  Smith. 

"  Won't  you  ?  I'll  soon  make  you  !"  shouted  the 
captain.  "I'll  see  whether  you  will  or  not !"  Spring 
ing  down  the  ladder,  he  then  grasped  Smith  by  the 
shirt-collar,  and  dragged  him  out  of  his  berth.  "  Up 
with  you,  now,  and  not  another  word  from  you !" 

"No,  sir,  I'll  not  go  on  deck,"  said  Smith,  making 
a  show  of  resistance.  "  You'd  better  mind  how  you 
handle  me  !  I'm  a  Charleston  man,  myself!  Let  me 
go ;  let  me  go,  sir  !" 

"Are  you,  hey  T' thundered  the  captain;  "a  Charles 
ton  man  ?  I'll  let  you  know  what  I  am;  I'll  let  you 
know  that  I'm  captain  of  this  ship !"  With  these 
words  the  captain  dragged  him  up  the  ladder  by 
main  force,  and,  jerking  him  through  the  scuttle,  col 
lared  him  against  the  foremast.  Faint  and  haggard 
with  sickness,  the  offender  commenced  pleading  for 
mercy. 

"  Don't  choke  me,  captain  ;  don't  choke  me  !" 

"  Yes,  I'll  choke  the  stubbornness  out  of  you ;  I'll 
choke  obedience  into  you !"  roared  the  captain, 
shaking  him  by  the  throat. 


ALL    HANDS    AFT.  33 

"  Great  God !  you'll  kill  me,"  groaned  the  man, 
nearly  black  in  the  face. 

"  Do  your  duty,  then." 

"  I  will,  sir,  I  will.     Don't  kill  me." 

"  Go  aft,  then,  and  act  as  steward  till  I  think  prop 
er  to  get  one  in  your  place ;  and  remember,  if  you 
show  any  more  of  your  stubbornness,  I'll  flog  it  out 
of  you  with  a  rope's  end." 

Smith  staggered  aft,  rubbing  his  throat,  and  crying 
with  pain.  From  that  time  forth  he  was  the  officers' 
dog.  He  had  earned  a  bad  name  for  himself,  and  he 
kept  it  during  the  remainder  of  his  stay  on  board  the 
vessel. 

This  was  the  commencement  of  trouble.  It  was 
deemed  an  appropriate  occasion  to  "lay  down  the 
law."  All  hands  were  called  aft. 

The  captain  deliberately  stalked  the  quarter-deck, 
exulting  in  the  "  pomp  and  circumstance"  of  his  high 
and  responsible  position.  Every  step  he  took  be 
spoke  the  internal  workings  of  a  man  swelling  with 
authority.  The  proud  glance  of  his  eye ;  the  severe 
frown  of  his  heavy  eyebrows;  the  haughty  curl  of 
his  lip ;  even  the  peculiar  twist  of  his  long,  nasal  pro 
tuberance  seemed  to  say,  "  Behold,  and  wonder !  / 
stand  before  you  arrayed  in  a  halo  of  glory.  /  am 
commander  of  the  great  barque  Styx  !  Authority  is 
mine  !  Look  upon  me,  all  ye  who  have  eyes  to  see, 
and  tremble,  all  ye  who  have  ears  to  hear !"  With 
his  hands  stuck  in  his  breeches  pockets,  he  then  ap 
proached  the  break  of  the  quarter-deck,  and,  strad- 

E 


34  PICTURE    OF    THE    CREW. 

dling  out  his  legs  to  guard  against  lee-lurches,  asked 
if  all  hands  were  present.  One  of  the  officers  re 
plied  in  the  affirmative. 

The  scene  was  at  once  grotesque  and  impressive. 
Fourteen  men,  comprising  the  whole  crew,  were 
huddled  together  in  the  waist,  at  the  starboard  gang 
way.  Of  these  four  were  Portuguese,  two  Irish,  and 
eight  Americans;  and  certainly  a  more  uncouth- 
looking  set,  including  my  friend  and  myself,  never 
met  in  one  group.  The  Portuguese  wore  sennet 
hats  with  sugar-loaf  crowns,  striped  bed-ticking  pan 
taloons  patched  with  duck,  blue  shirts,  and  knives 
and  belts.  They  were  all  barefooted,  and  their  hands 
and  faces  smeared  with  tar.  On  their  chins  they 
wore  black,  matted  beards,  which  had  apparently 
never  been  combed.  The  color  of  their  skin  was  a 
dark,  greenish-brown,  if  the  reader  can  imagine  such 
a  color,  and  was, calculated  to  create  the  impression 
that  they  never  made  use  of  soap  and  water.  The 
variety  of  dress  in  which  the  rest  of  the  crew  were 
habited  was  fully  as  striking  as  that  of  the  Portu 
guese.  Some  wore  Scotch  caps,  duck  trowsers,  red 
shirts,  and  big  horse-leather  boots ;  others,  tarpaulin 
hats,  Guernsey  frocks,  tight-fitting  cloth  pantaloons, 
and  red  neckerchiefs.  Several  were  bareheaded  and 
barefooted,  having  lost  their  hats  and  shoes  in  the 
late  gale.  All  the  green  hands,  which  included  most 
of  the  Americans  and  the  two  Irishmen,  were  still 
cadaverous  and  ghastly  after  their  sea-sickness,  and 
not  more  than  two  had  yet  entirely  "squared  ac- 


PREPARATION    FOR    ELOQUENCE.  35 

counts  with  old  Nep."  Altogether  we  were  the  most 
extraordinary  looking  set  of  half-sailor  nondescripts 
possible  to  conceive.  Thus  situated,  and  thus  equip 
ped  for  sea  life,  we  stood  gaping  at  the  captain  in 
silent  admiration. 

The  mates  and  boat-steerers,  consisting  of  the 
chief  mate,  an  Englishman,  the  second  mate,  an 
American,  two  Portuguese  boat-steerers,  and  an 
American  of  the  same  grade,  stood  near  the  mainmast, 
looking  on  with  the  air  of  men  who  were  used  to 
such  things,  and  took  no  particular  interest  in  them. 

The  captain,  after  considerable  deliberation,  and 
a  great  show  of  contempt  toward  every  body  within 
range  of  his  visual  rays,  then  addressed  us  in  a  sharp 
nasal  voice,  fixing  his  eyes  upon  each  man  alter 
nately.  I  had  listened  to  many  speeches,  but  never 
to  one  more  pointed  than  this.  No  doubt  he  will 
be  surprised  to  find  it  literally  reported : 

"  I  suppose  you  all  know  what  you  came  a  whaling 
for  ?  If  you  don't,  I'll  tell  you.  You  came  to  make 
a  voyage,  and  I  intend  you  shall  make  one.  You 
didn't  come  to  play  ;  no,  you  came  for  oil ;  you  came 
to  work."  [Here  he  took  a  turn  on  the  quarter-deck, 
and  while  concentrating  his  ideas  for  another  burst 
of  eloquence,  amused  himself  in  an  undertone,  partly 
addressed  to  himself  individually,  and  partly  to  the 
mate,  by  letting  us  know  that  it  should  be  "  a  greasy 
voyage,  and  a  monstrous  greasy  one  too."] 

"  You  must  do  as  the  officers  tell  you,  and  work 
when  there's  work  to  be  done.  We  didn't  ship  you 


36  LAYING    DOWN    THE    LAW. 

to  be  idle  here.  No,  no,  that  ain't  what  we  shipped 
you  for,  by  a  grand  sight.  If  you  think  it  is,  you'll 
find  yourselves  mistaken.  You  will  that — some,  I 
guess."  [Here  he  lost  the  idea,  or,  to  use  a  more 
expressive  phrase,  "got  stumped."]  "I  allow  no 
fighting  aboard  this  ship.  Come  aft  to  me  when 
you  have  any  quarrels,  and  /'//  settle  'em.  Til  do 
the  quarreling  for  you — /  will."  [Another  turn  on 
the  quarter-deck.]  "If  there's  any  fighting  to  be 
done,  I  want  to  have  a  hand  in  it.  Any  of  you  that 
I  catch  at  it,  '11  have  to  FIGHT  ME/"  [A  frightful 
doubling  up  of  the  fists,  and  a  most  ferocious  gnash 
ing  of  the  teeth.]  "  I'll  have  no  swearing,  neither. 
I  don't  want  to  hear  nobody  swear.  It's  a  bad 
practice — an  infernal  bad  one.  It  breeds  ill  will, 
and  don't  do  no  kind  o'  good.  If  I  catch  any  one 
at  it,  damme,  I'll  flog  him,  that's  all."  [A  nod  of  the 
head,  as  much  as  to  say  he  meant  to  be  as  good  as 
his  word.]  "  When  it's  your  watch  below,  you  can 
stay  below  or  for'ed,  just  as  you  please.  When  it's 
your  watch  on  deck,  you  must  stay  on  deck,  and 
work,  if  there's  work  to  be  done.  I  won't  have  no 
skulking.  If  I  see  sogers  here,  I'll  soger  'em  with  a 
rope's  end.  Any  of  you  that  I  catch  below,  except 
in  cases  of  sickness,  or  when  it's  your  watch  below, 
shall  stay  on  deck  and  work  till  I  think  proper  to 
stop  you."  [A  stride  or  two  aft,  and  a  glance  to 
windward.]  "  You  shall  have  good  grub  to  eat,  and 
plenty  of  it.  I'll  give  you  vittles  if  you  work;  if 
you  don't  work,  you  may  starve.  Don't  grumble 


LAYING    DOWN    THE    LAW.  37 

about  your  grub  neither.  You'd  better  not,  I  reckon.'* 
[A  mysterious  shake  of  the  head,  which  implied  a 
vast  deal  of  terrific  meaning.]  "  If  you  don't  get 
enough,  come  aft  and  apply  to  me.  I'm  the  man 
to  apply  to ;  Tm  the  captain."  [Here  he  surveyed 
himself  with  a  look  of  exultation,  which  seemed  to 
say  that  he  was  not  only  the  captain — the  very  man 
to  whom  he  had  special  reference,  but  that  it  was  a 
source  of  infinite  satisfaction  to  him  to  be  the  cap 
tain.]  '•  Now,  the  sooner  you  get  a  cargo  of  oil,  the 
sooner  you'll  get  home.  You'll  find  it  to  your  in 
terest  to  pay  attention  to  what  I  say.  Do  your  duty, 
and  act  well  your  part  toward  me,  and  I'll  treat  you 
well ;  but  if  you  show  any  obstinacy  or  cut  up  any 
extras,  I'll  be  d — d  if  it  won't  be  worse  for  you ! 
Look  out !  I  ain't  a  man  that's  going  to  be  trifled 
with.  No,  /ain't — not  myself,  /ain't !  The  officers 
will  all  treat  you  well,  and  I  intend  you  shall  do  as 
they  order  you.  If  you  don't,  /'//  see  about  it." 
[Three  or  four  strides  to  and  fro  on  the  quarter-deck, 
and  a  portentous  silence  of  five  minutes.]  "  That's 
all.  Go  for'ed,  where  you  belong !" 

Had  the  captain  made  good  all  his  promises,  we 
would  have  had  no  just  cause  for  complaint;  but  we 
soon  discovered  that  his  speech  was  merely  designed 
to  intimidate  us.  From  that  time  forth  we  had  the 
poorest  fare,  and  in  the  scantiest  quantities.  The 
owners  had  given  us  positive  assurance  that  there 
never  had  sailed  from  that  port  a  vessel  better  fitted 
in  every  respect.  For  their  misrepresentations,  we 


38       PREPARATION    FOR    THE    WHALING    GROUND. 

heartily  wished  them  a  berth  in  their  own  barque, 
believing  that  the  severest  punishment  that  could  be 
inflicted  upon  them.  A  month's  trial  at  it  would 
make  them  exercise  more  humanity  toward  their 
fellow-creatures. 

Next  in  the  routine  of  business  was  the  choosing 
of  watches.  We  were  all  called  to  the  waist  that 
evening,  and  examined  like  a  parcel  of  bullocks  about 
to  be  butchered.  The  mate  and  second  mate  made 
the  selections.  Among  others,  I  was  chosen  for  the 
larboard  or  mate's  watch,  and  my  friend  for  the  star 
board  or  second  mate's  watch. 

The  watch  on  deck  was  then  set  to  work  on  the 
whaling  gear.  Our  duties  from  that  time  till  we 
arrived  on  the  western  whaling  ground  were,  work 
ing  ship,  grinding  harpoons,  spades,  lances,  boarding 
knives,  &c.,  making  deck  brooms,  washing  decks 
every  morning,  clearing  the  rubbish  away  every  after 
noon,  stowing  away  loose  casks,  steering  and  stand 
ing  mast-heads.  Whenever  the  weather  was  fine 
we  lowered  the  boats  and  practiced  at  pulling,  back 
ing,  and  all  the  manoeuvers  necessary  in  the  capture 
of  a  whale.  All  this  severe  labor  was  very  hard  upon 
those  who  had  not  been  accustomed  to  great  physi 
cal  exertion. 


MY    FRIEND    ILL.  39 


CHAPTER  V. 

Distressing  Illness  of  my  Friend. — His  brutal  Treatment. — Unfeel 
ing  Conduct  of  the  Portuguese. — Their  Ignorance. — Setting  Boats'- 
crew  Watches. — A  Chase  after  Black-fish. — Evening  Pastimes. 

NOTHING  of  interest  transpired  after  the  difficulty 
with  Smith,  till 

July  27th. — I  had  afternoon  watch  below,  and 
had  turned  in  to  forget  my  troubles  in  sleep.  About 
two  o'clock  I  was  roused  by  the  steward,  who  in 
formed  me  that  W had  suddenly  fallen  upon 

the  deck  in  a  fit  of  convulsions.  I  immediately 
sprang  up  the  ladder  and  ran  aft.  Language  can 
not  depict  the  shocking  spectacle  that  met  my  eyes. 
There  was  my  bosom  friend,  sitting  up  against  one 
of  the  scuttle-butts,  his  shirt  open,  his  hat  lying  on 
the  deck,  and  his  eyes  ready  to  start  from  their  sock 
ets.  The  captain  stood  by  him,  holding  him  by  the 

hand.  I  felt  sick  and  giddy,  when  W stared  at 

me  with  the  vacant  gaze  of  an  idiot.  Bursting  into 
a  wild  laugh,  he  attempted  to  spring  up.  It  was  a 
fearful  laugh — a  laugh  that  rang  like  a  death-knell 
in  my  ears.  I  grasped  him  by  the  hand  ;  the  terri 
ble  thought  struck  me  that  he  had  gone  mad  !  His 
voice  was  wild  and  unnatural,  and  his  whole  appear 
ance  awful  in  the  extreme.  Gazing  vacantly  in  my 
face,  he  burst  into  tears,  and  sobbed  as  if  his  heart 
would  break.  I  called  him  by  name ;  I  implored 


40  MADNESS    FROM    A    SUN-STROKE. 

him  to  speak  to  me.  Without  noticing  my  appeals, 
he  turned  to  the  captain  and  inquired  rny  name. 
Upon  receiving  an  answer,  he  begged  me,  in  the  most 
piteous  tones,  to  convey  a  message  home  to  his 
mother,  that  he  never  should  see  her  again. 

"  Before  another  hour,"  he  said,  "  I  shall  be  food 
for  the  sharks.  O  God,  must  I  die  so  soon  ]  Am 
I  never  to  see  home  again  1  I  have  kind,  good  pa 
rents  ;  tell  them  I  died  thinking  of  them.  It  is  hor 
rible — horrible  to  be  thrown  overboard  in  a  sack !" 

No  effort  to  console  him  had  the  slightest  effect. 
The  fearful  idea  that  he  was  about  to  be  devoured 
by  the  sharks  seemed  to  drive  him  mad.  He  raved 
of  strange  things  which  he  had  seen  at  the  mast 
head  ;  talked  incoherently  of  birds  with  beautiful 
plumage,  curiously-formed  fishes,  and  called  upon  us 
wildly  to  save  him  from  the  sharks.  It  was  a  scene 
of  horror  that  I  shall  never  forget. 

When  he  became  somewhat  composed,  one  of 
the  hands,  assisted  by  myself,  carried  him  forward 
to  the  forecastle,  and  laid  him  in  his  berth.  For 
three  hours  he  lay  in  a  trance,  with  his  eyes  wide 
open,  not  moving  a  muscle.  He  looked  like  one 
that  was  dead. 

It  appeared,  from  the  statements  of  the  watch  on 
deck,  that  he  had  just  come  down  from  the  mast 
head,  where  the  rays  of  the  sun  poured  down  with 
an  intense  heat.  On  reaching  the  deck,  he  walked 
aft  toward  the  captain,  who  was  parading  the  quar 
ter-deck.  After  passing  the  break  of  the  deck  he 


BRUTAL    TREATMENT.  41 

stood  still,  and  while  in  the  act  of  addressing  the 
captain,  fell  down  in  convulsions.  From  all  these 
circumstances,  and  from  the  fact  that  he  was  not 
subject  to  fits,  it  was  quite  evident  that  it  was  a  sun 
stroke.  He  had  suffered  severely  from  sea-sickness, 
and  was  greatly  debilitated.  A  .burning  sun  beating 
down  upon  his  head  for  two  hours  could  very  easily 
have  produced  the  terrible  effects  described. 

I  thought  it  very  hard  that  a  man,  really  suffering 
from  illness,  should  be  compelled  by  the  captain  to 
stand  two  hours  a  day  at  the  mast-head.  It  was,  in 

this  case  at  least,  little  better  than  murder.  W 

never  recovered  from  the  effects  of  this  fearful  afflic 
tion.  Better,  far  better  would  it  have  been  for  him, 
had  he  fallen  from  his  post  and  found  a  watery  grave. 
There  are  things  connected  with  this  event  that 
weigh  heavily  upon  my  heart ;  things  not  rudely  to 
be  touched — affections  tried  and  hearts  broken. 

It  is  needless  to  dwell  upon  his  sufferings  during 
the  remainder  of  his  stay  on  board  the  ship.  The 
Portuguese  were  mere  brutes,  and,  with  two  or  three 
exceptions,  the  rest  of  the  crew  were  little  better. 
Sympathy  for  the  sick  was  a  weakness  unknown  to 
them.  No  temptation  would  induce  them  to  refrain 
from  smoking,  swearing,  and  blackguarding.  I  at 
tempted  to  purchase  peace  by  giving  them  my 
clothes,  but  my  exertions  were  of  no  avail.  I  saw 
that  it  was  useless  to  expostulate,  and  finding  that 

the  noise  increased  W 's  malady,  I  appealed  to 

the  captain  to  exert  his  influence  over  them.  His 

F 


42  BRUTAL    TREATMENT. 

reply  was  characteristic,  and  just  such  as  I  might 
have  expected  had  I  known  him  better.  "  He  had 
nothing  to  do  with  the  forecastle.  The  Portuguese, 
as  well  as  the  Americans,  were  at  liberty  to  do  as 
they  pleased  in  it.  He  had  no  control  over  them 

after  they  went  below.     W had  no  business 

coming  to  sea  to  get  sick,  and  be  a  trouble  to  all  on 
board.  He  had  seen  such  fellows  before,  and  would 
not  put  himself  out  of  his  way  to  pamper  to  their 
wants.  Now  that  he  was  in  a  scrape,  let  him  make 
the  best  of  it,  and  not  trouble  folks  with  his  com 
plaints.  If  he  wanted  medicine,  he  might  have  it, 
and  that  was  all  that  could  be  done  for  him." 

Where  such  an  example  was  set  by  the  captain, 
I  could  not  expect  the  crew  to  do  otherwise  than 

follow  it.     For  FIFTY-TWO  days  W lay  in  the 

forecastle,  suffering  such  tortures  of  body  and  mind 
as  can  not  be  described.  The  captain  gave  him  to 
understand  that  he  should  not  leave  the  vessel  the 
whole  voyage;  he  might  die  in  the  forecastle,  for 
what  he  cared.  During  all  this  time,  my  unfortu 
nate  comrade  had  nothing  to  eat  but  hard  biscuit, 
and  occasionally  a  piece  of  butter  about  the  size  of 
a  dollar;  so  reduced  was  he  that  nothing  else  allow 
ed  the  crew  would  remain  on  his  stomach.  The 
hot,  close  atmosphere  of  the  forecastle,  rendered  still 
more  suffocating  by  the  fumes  of  old  pipes  and  b-ad 
cigars,  was  not  very  well  calculated  to  promote  his 
recovery. 

It  would  be  difficult  to  give  any  idea  of  our  fore- 


THE    PORTUGUESE    PARADISE.  43 

castle.  In  wet  weather,  when  most  of  the  hands 
were  below,  cursing,  smoking,  singing,  and  spinning 
yarns,  it  was  a  perfect  Bedlam.  Think  of  three  or 
four  Portuguese,  a  couple  of  Irishmen,  and  five  or 
six  rough  Americans,  in  a  hole  about  sixteen  feet 
wide,  and  as  many,  perhaps,  from  the  bulk-heads  to 
the  fore-peak  ;  so  low  that  a  full-grown  person  could 
not  stand  upright  in  it,  and  so  wedged  up  with  rub 
bish  as  to  leave  scarcely  room  for  a  foothold.  It 
contained  twelve  small  berths,  and  with  fourteen 
chests  in  the  little  area  around  the  ladder,  seldom 
admitted  of  being  cleaned.  In  warm  weather  it  was 
insufferably  close.  It  would  seem  like  exaggeration 
to  say,  that  I  have  seen  in  Kentucky  pig-sties  not 
half  so  filthy,  and  in  every  respect  preferable  to  this 
miserable  hole :  such,  however,  is  the  fact. 

In  this  loathsome  den,  the  Portuguese  were  in 
their  element,  revelling  in  filth,  beating  harsh  discord 
on  an  old  viola,  jabbering  in  their  native  language, 
smoking,  cursing,  and  blackguarding.  Their  chief 
recreation,  however,  was  quarreling,  at  which  they 
were  incessantly  engaged.  Nor  was  it  confined  to 
week-days,  for  not  the  slightest  regard  was  paid  to 
the  Sabbath.  The  most  horrible  profanity  was  in 
dulged  in,  and  to  an  excess  that  was  truly  revolting. 
They  did  not  seem  aware  even  ot  the  existence  of 
a  Supreme  Being.  And  yet  these  Christians  chat 
tered  a  paternoster  over  their  beads  every  night ! 
What  mockery ! 

I  asked  Enos,  the  most  intelligent  of  them,  if  he 
had  ever  read  a  book  called  the  Bible. 


44  KNOWLEDGE    OF    SCRIPTURE. 

"  No,"  said  he,  "  I  don't  sabe  how  to  read." 

"  Did  you  ever  hear  of  it  I" 

"I  don't  know." 

"  Do  the  people  on  the  Western  Islands  pay  any 
regard  to  Sunday  !" 

"  Oh  yes.  When  Sunday  come,  dey  go  to  chapel. 
In  de  morning  dey  pray,  in  the  evening  dey  dance 
and  play  cards;  dey  have  fandango.  Old  padre 
say  dat  bad;  we  say,  here  ten  cent.  Den  padre 
laugh  and  say  no  more  'bout  it." 

Here  the  Portuguese  all  set  up  a  laugh,  and  com 
menced  singing,  in  whining  voices,  "  Dominus  vo- 
biseo,"  &c. 

As  soon  as  we  arrived  on  the  western  whaling 
ground,  boat  watches  were  set.  In  a  small  vessel 
like  the  Styx,  with  three  boats,  besides  a  spare  boat 
aft,  there  are  usually  three  watches,  consisting  of 
the  larboard,  starboard,  and  waist  boat's  crew.  Each 
watch  is  under  the  command  of  a  boat-steerer  after 
sail  is  shortened,  which  is  generally  about  sundown. 
In  our  watches  there  were  four  men,  and  the  boat- 
steerer.  The  mate  and  second  mate  sleep  all  night, 
and  remain  on  duty- all  day.  The  alternate  hours 
of  duty  and  rest  with  the  crew  are  arranged  thus  : 
Say  the  larboard  and  starboard  boat's  crews  go  below 
after  sail  is  taken  in ;  the  waist  boat's  crew  remains 
on  deck  till  ten  o'clock,  when  it  is  relieved  by  the 
larboard  boat's  crew,  and  turns  in  till  the  hands  are 
called  in  the  morning.  The  watch  then  on  deck 
is  relieved  at  one  by  the  starboard  boat's  crew,  which 


A    CHASE    FOR    BLACK-FISH.  45 

remains  on  deck  till  all  below  are  called  in  the  morn 
ing.  The  starboard  watch  then  has  forenoon  watch 
below,  the  larboard  the  afternoon,  and  the  waist 
boat's  crew  all  day  on  deck. 

In  making  a  passage,  there  are  but  two  watches, 
the  larboard  and  starboard,  which  are  headed  by 
the  first  and  second  mate,  who  take  the  same  hours 
of  rest  allowed  the  crew. 

So  much  of  my  time  was  taken  up  at  the  helm 
and  mast-head,  that  I  had  but  few  hours  every  day 
to  devote  to  my  unfortunate  friend,  who  could  look 
to  me  alone  for  aid.  Each  day  he  became  more 
exhausted  from  want  of  proper  nourishment  and  care. 

August  3d. — We  had  now  prepared  all  the  whal 
ing  gear,  and  were  daily  on  the  look-out  for  whales. 

August  bth. — The  boats  were  lowered  for  black- 
fish.  I  took  my  place,  for  the  first  time,  at  the  aft 
oar  in  the  waist  boat.  After  rowing  about  two 
miles,  we  came  up  with  the  school*  It  was  an  un 
usually  large  one,  but  the  day  was  so  calm  that  they 
were  very  shy.  We  made  several  unsuccessful  at 
tempts  to  get  a  dart  at  them,  and  continued  the 
chase  for  six  or  eight  hours  under  a  burning  sun. 
I  was  pretty  well  tired  of  my  oar  by  the  time  we 
turned  toward  the  vessel.  The  Portuguese  con 
soled  me  with  the  remark,  that  I  had  not  begun  to 
see  "  a  hard  pull  yet,"  and  enjoyed  my  cadaverous 
looks  with  great  satisfaction. 

*  The  term  generally  used  by  whalemen  when  speaking  of  a  gang 
or  company  of  whales  or  smaller  fish. 


46  DECK    AMUSEMENTS. 

From  seven  till  nine  o'clock  we  usually  spent  on 
deck,  amusing  ourselves  at  the  various  pastimes  com 
mon  among  sailors.  When  the  weather  permitted, 
we  had  dancing,  singing,  and  spinning  yarns.  The 
Portuguese  had  a  guitar,  or  viola,  as  they  called  it, 
with  wire  strings,  upon  which  they  produced  two  or 
three  melancholy  minors,  accompanying  their  per 
formance  with  a  harsh,  unmusical  chant.  Four  of 
them  formed  couples,  and  while  one  of  the  by-stand- 
ers  played  the  guitar,  those  forming  the  set  moved 
backward  and  forward  like  hyenas  in  a  cage,  paw 
ing  the  deck  with  their  feet,  and  using  their  fingers 
by  way  of  castanets;  all  chanting,  in  a  whining 
tone,  two  or  three  monotonous  notes,  which  they 
repeated  till  it  became  fairly  distracting.  While 
the  Portuguese  amused  themselves  in  this  way,  the 
American  portion  of  the  crew  had  songs,  yarns,  and 
dances  after  their  own  fashion.  As  all  human  en 
joyments  are  comparative,  so  many  an  hour  of  real 
pleasure  was  thus  passed  on  board  the  Styx  by 
myself  and  others,  who  had  seen  worse  times  since 
we  had  left  New  Bedford. 


CRUELTY    TOWARD    A    SEAMAN.  47 


CHAPTER  VI. 

More  Trouble  on  Board. — Cruelty  toward  a  Seaman. — A  School  of 
Whales. — Prize  alongside. — Remarks  of  the  Down-Easter. — Cut 
ting  In  and  Trying  Out. — Land  ho  ! — Peak  of  Pico. — Terceira. 
— Trading. — Character  of  the  Islanders. — Scenery. — Adventure 
on  the  Island. — An  unpleasant  Predicament. 

I  ALLUDED,  in  the  preceding  chapter,  to  the  diffi 
culty  with  Smith  as  the  beginning  of  trouble  on 
board.  Soon  after  that  a  disease  of  long  standing 
attacked  him,  and  confined  him  to  the  forecastle  for 
some  time.  He  was  abused  by  the  Portuguese,  and 
hazed  by  the  officers  for  not  getting  well.  The 
captain,  disappointed  in  procuring  oil,  became  so 
morose  that,  for  days  in  succession,  he  spoke  not  a 
kind  word  to  any  of  the  crew.  He  swore,  one  morn 
ing,  that  if  Smith  would  not  come  on  deck  and  go 
to  work,  he'd  drag  him  out  of  the  forecastle.  Be 
tween  the  abuse  of  the  Portuguese  on  the  one  hand, 
and  threats  on  the  other,  Smith  thought  it  best  to  at 
tempt  to  go  on  duty;  and  the  same  evening  he 
crawled  up  the  ladder,  and  staggered  aft,  so  weak 
that  he  could  scarcely  walk.  In  all  vessels  the  in 
valids,  who  are  able  to  do  any  thing,  take  the  helm, 
which  was  the  duty  assigned  to  this  man.  The 
captain  was  sitting  on  the  gunwale  of  the  larboard 
boat,  close  by.  It  should  be  remarked  that  he  had 
an  inveterate  ill  will  against  Smith  ever  since  the 


48  LUFFING. 

morning  of  the  difficulty ;  and  on  several  occasions 
observed,  that  he  "  might  rot  in  the  forecastle,  and  be 
d — d,  before  any  trouble  should  be  taken  about  such 
a  worthless  rascal !"  I  was  in  the  waist  at  work 
grinding  irons,  when  I  was  attracted  by  the  harsh 
voice  of  the  captain  ordering  him  to  "  luff."  Ignorant 
of  the  custom  which  requires  the  helmsman  to  re 
peat  the  order  (for  it  appeared  that  he  had  never 
been  to  sea  before),  Smith  put  the  wheel  to  lee 
ward,  supposing  that  to  obey  was  sufficient. 

"Luff,  I  tell  you,  luff!"  roared  the  captain,  in  a 
savage  voice.  "  Do  you  hear,  there  1" 

Weak  and  nervous  from  the  effects  of  his  disease, 
the  poor  fellow  continued  to  luff,  muttering  that  she 
was  coming  up. 

"  Luff!  will  you  luff?"  was  the  reply. 

Without  any  answer,  Smith  put  the  wheel  hard 
down. 

"You  scoundrel,  luff!"  thundered  the  captain, 
frantic  with  rage.  "  Do  you  hear  me  ?  you  sheep- 
head,  do  you  hear  me  1" 

"  Yes,  sir,  I  hear,"  said  the  man,  quietly ;  and,  in 
deed,  it  would  have  been  difficult  to  avoid  hearing, 
for  the  captain's  voice  was  like  the  braying  of  an 
ass. 

"  The  devil  take  you,  then,  why  don't  you  an 
swer  V 

"I  answered  once,  sir." 

"  No,  you  didn't ;  don't  tell  me  that !  don't  tell  me 
that,  I  say.  Now,  I  tell  you  to  meet  her." 


THE  CAPTAIN'S  CRUELTY.  49 

Smith  obeyed,  but  made  no  reply. 

"  Curse  you  !  I'll  teach  you  to  answer !  I'll  flog 
the  stubbornness  out  of  you !  You  hear  well  enough ; 
but  it's  your  stubbornness  J" 

With  that  the  captain  sprang  down  on  deck,  and, 
rushing  upon  Smith,  struck  him  several  times  across 
the  face  with  his  open  hand.  Haggard  and  faint, 
the  poor  wretch  clung  to  the  wheel  to  avoid  falling. 

"  I'll  whale  the  stubbornness  out  of  you !  I'll  have 
you  answer  me  when  I  speak  to  you.  Now,  when 
I  tell  you  to  do  a  thing,  you'll  do  it ;"  and,  with  other 
polished  expressions  of  the  kind,  he  walked  to  and  fro 
on  the  quarter-deck,  chafing  with  rage. 

"  How  does  she  head  1"  next  came,  in  a  gruff 
voice. 

"East,  sir." 

"  You  lie  !  you  lie  !" 

There  was  no  answering  such  an  accusation  as 
this ;  for,  if  the  captain  says  black  is  white,  it  must 
be  so. 

"  How  does  she  head  V  (louder  and  fiercer.) 

"East." 

"  You  lie !  I  tell  you,  you  lie  !  Don't  you  lie  to 
me  !  If  I  catch  you  lying,  I'll  warm  you  !" 

"  She  heads  so,  according  to  the  compass." 

"  Don't  tell  me  that ;  I  know  better.  You'll  be 
laming  me  the  compass  next !  Look  sharp,  there ! 
Ill  warm  your  back  !" 

No  doubt  this  treatment  was  intended  to  impress 
the  man  at  the  wheel  as  well  as  the  spectators  with 

G 


50  INJUSTICE    TO    SAILORS. 

a  sense  of  awe  toward  the  captain,  and  a  proper  re 
spect  for  his  authority  and  personal  dignity.  To  me, 
however,  there  was  something  horribly  brutal  in  it. 
I  vowed  in  my  heart  he  should  be  sorry  for  such 
cowardly  conduct  toward  one  who  was  unable  to 
resent  it.  The  time,  I  hoped,  would  come  when  I 
would  have  it  in  my  power  to  show  him  that  even  a 
foremast  hand  may  have  feeling,  and  is  not  to  be 
abused  with  impunity. 

This  was  but  an  every-day  incident,  after  all.  It 
may  be  that  I  have  wasted  time  in  describing  it.  I 
know  there  are  some  whose  nicer  feelings  will  revolt 
at  such  scenes.  It  should  be  borne  in  mind,  howT- 
ever,  that  incidents  of  this  kind  form  a  great  part  of 
a  sailor's  life.  To  some  readers,  who  derive  their 
ideas  of  things  aboard  ship  from  sea  novels,  in  which 
the  valor  of  the  heroes  consists  in  a  heroic  contempt 
of  all  authority,  and  a  superabundance  of  imperti 
nence,  it  may  seem  that  to  submit  tamely  to  the  over 
bearing  bullying  of  a  brute,  without  retort  or  resent 
ment,  shows  a  want  of  manly  spirit.  I  would  ask, 
what  is  to  be  done  in  such  cases  ?  A  man  has  no 
right  to  strike  his  commander,  however  well  justified 
he  may  be  in  so  doing,  according  to  our  notions  of 
right  and  wrong.  Nor  must  he  use  language  that  can 
be  termed  insolent  or  mutinous.  This  might  do 
ashore,  where  one  man  can  meet  another  upon  equal 
terms ;  but  it  can  not  be  carried  out  at  sea.  If  the 
captain  can  not  manage  Jack,  the  officers  are  ready 
to  lend  their  aid ;  and,  to  my  thinking,  it  would  be 


CAPTURING    A    WHALE.  51 

poor  satisfaction  to  be  seized  up  by  main  force  and 
flogged  like  a  negro.  Until  masters  are  taught,  by 
the  severest  punishmenif  that  their  little  brief  author 
ity  does  not  justify  them  in  acts  of  tyranny  and 
cruelty,  poor  Jack  must  quietly  submit  to  all  his 
woes ! 

August  16th Chased  a  school  of  whales  all  day. 

At  6  o'clock  P.M.  their  spouts  were  seen  about  two 
miles  off  the  lee  bow.  The  larboard  and  starboard 
boats,  headed  by  the  captain  and  the  mate,  were 
lowered.  At  10  P.M.  the  boats  came  alongside 
with  a  twenty-barrel  whale  in  tow.  All  hands  set 
to  work  rigging  up  the  cutting  tackle,  and  getting  the 
try- works  ready. 

The  appearance  of  this,  our  first  whale,  was  hailed 
by  a  general  cheer.  After  the  watches  were  set, 
and  the  decks  cleared,  I  had  an  opportunity  of  ex 
amining  our  prize.  It  was  about  thirty-five  feet  in 
length,  of  a  rather  light  color,  and  had  a  strong,  disa 
greeable  smell  of  oil.  Though  considered  a  very 
small  whale,  its  proportions  seemed  gigantic  enough 
to  me.  It  was  surrounded  by  sharks  eagerly  await 
ing  their  prey. 

No  correct  idea  can  be  formed  of  the  process  of 
capturing  whales  and  trying  out  their  blubber,  with 
out  some  knowledge  of  the  instruments  employed. 
I  shall  take  pains  to  make  my  information  on  this 
subject  as  intelligible  as  possible  to  the  "  unlearned' 
landsman,  taking  it  for  granted  he  is  not  versed  in 
the  mysteries  of  the  craft. 


52  HARPOONING    THE    WHALE. 

First  in  importance  is  the  harpoon.     This  instru 


ment,  called,  in  whaling  parlance,  an  "iron,"  is  gen 
erally  between  three  and  four  feet  long,  with  a  beard 
ed  head,  and  a  shaft  or  handle  of  hickory,  oak,  or 
dog-wood,  about  a  foot  longer  than  the  iron,  pointed 
at  the  end  so  as  to  fit  in  the  socket  of  the  harpoon. 
A  strap,  or  piece  of  tarred  rope,  fastened  to  the  pole 
and  firmly  woven  over  the  socket,  keeps  them  to 
gether,  and  forms  a  loop  to  which  the  tub-line  is  at 
tached.  The  harpoon  is  the  first  instrument  made 
use  of  in  the  capture  of  a  whale.  Instances,  how 
ever,  have  occurred,  in  whicfe, whales  have  been  taken 
by  the  skillful  thrusts  of  a  lance.  In  ordinary  cases, 
only  one  harpoon  is  made  use  of,  but  should  it  "draw," 
or  the  whale  prove  difficult^  manage,  it  is  not  un 
usual  to  dart  three  or  four.  Each  boat  is  provided 
with  that  number.  The  head  of  the  harpoon,  when 
not  in  immediate  use,  is  preserved  from  rust  by  a 
wooden  cover,  the  inside  of  which  is  formed  to  fit  it 
closely.  It  is  the  province  of  the  boat-steerer  to 
keep  the  whaling  gear  in  good  order,  and  he  takes 
particular  pride  in  the  sharpness  and  polish  of  his 
"irons."  The  name  of  the  vessel  or  captain  is 
usually  stamped  on  the  thick  part  of  the  harpoon, 
so  that,  in  case  of  a  dispute  between  two  captains 
in  relation  to  their  right  to  a  whale  struck  by  both, 
the  matter  may  be  determined  by  reference  to  the 


LANCING    THE    WHALE.  53 

brand.  The  first  fast  harpoon,  if  still  attached  to 
the  line  in  the  boat,  forms  an  indisputable  right  to 
the  whole  whale ;  but  if  the  line  be  cut  or  broken, 
and  the  last  save  the  loose  whale,  then  the  oil  is 
equally  shared,  or  the  claimant  yields  his  right  by 
courtesy,  or  for  a  suitable  consideration. 

The  lance  is  somewhat  longer  than  the  harpoon, 


without  beards,  and  shaped  at  the  head  not  unlike 
a  spoon,  but  convex  on  both  sides,  and  very  sharp 
on  the  edges  and  at  the  point.  The  handle  is  per 
fectly  straight  and  handsomely  rounded,  and  varies 
from  five  to  seven  feet  in  length.  A  small  line,  about 
the  thickness  of  a  ratlin,  is  attached  to  it,  for  the 
purpose  of  drawing  it  back  to  the  boat  after  a  "  dart." 
The  lance  is  made  use  of  to  dispatch  the  whale, 
after  having  first  secured  him  with  the  harpoon. 
When  the  whale  becomes  sufficiently  quiet  from  ex 
haustion  caused  by  exertion  or  loss  of  blood,  the  boat 
from  wrhich  the  harpoon  has  been  darted  draws  up 
by  the  line,  and  the  chief  officer  in  command  ex 
changes  places  with  the  harpooneer,  being  of  a 
higher  grade,  and  presumed  to  be  more  experienced 
in  the  business,  and  begins  the  responsible  task  of 
lancing.  This  is  the  most  dangerous  part  of  the 
contest.  It  is  often  difficult  to  get  the  boat  in  a  fa 
vorable  position,  and  a  slight  error  of  judgment,  or  a 
want  of  skill  in  the  officer,  may  occasion  the  loss  of 
the  whole  boat's  crew.  Two  or  three  skillful  darts 


54  BOARDING    KNIFE    AND    DART. 

will  bring  the  life-blood  in  a  few  minutes,  and  I  have 
known  cases  in  which,  by  a  single  well-directed  dart, 
the  whale  was  almost  instantly  killed.  To  strike  a 
whale  in  the  "  life,"  or  vitals,  the  first  dart,  is  the  am 
bition  of  all  good  whalemen. 

This  cut  represents  the  form  of  the  spade.     It  is 


an  instrument  much  used  in  the  process  of  whaling. 
Each  boat  is  provided  with  a  spade,  though  it  does 
not  immediately  come  into  requisition.  It  is  em 
ployed  to  cut  holes  in  the  blubber  after  the  capture 
of  the  whale,  in  which  to  fasten  the  tow-rope,  or  to 
plant  the  "  whift,"  or  small  flag,  by  which  the  posi 
tion  of  the  dead  whale  may  be  ascertained,  in  case 
the  boat  puts  off  after  others  in  the  school.  When 
the  lines  of  two  or  more  boats  become  entangled  out 

o 

of  the  reach  of  the  hatchet,  the  spade  is  sometimes 
used  to  cut  away.  It  is  also  convenient  in  case  the 
sharks  become  troublesome.  On  board  the  ship  it  is 
made  use  of  to  cut  the  blubber  from  the  carcass  of 
the  whale ;  and,  in  the  hold  blubber-room,  spades 
(having  short  shafts)  are  the  instruments  employed 
to  cut  the  large  sheets  of  blubber  called  "blanket 
pieces"  into  blocks  or  "  horse  pieces"  for  the  minc 
ing  knife. 

The  boarding  knife  requires  no  explanation.    The 

above  cut  gives  a  correct  representation  of  it.    In 


MODE    OF    MINCING    MATTERS. 


55 


"cutting  in"  it  is  used  to  make  holes  in  the  blanket 
pieces  for  the  blubber  hook,  and  to  cut  them  off 
when  they  have  been  drawn  up  to  the  blocks  by  the 
tackle  attached  to  the  windlass. 

Blubber  knives  are  similar  to  the  common  knives 


used  by  butchers.  In  detaching  the  meat  from  the 
blubber,  or  making  "  Uppers"  to  clean  the  decks,  they 
come  in  play. 

The  mincing  knife  slices  the  horse  pieces  for  the 


. 


try- works.    It  is  thought  that  the  thinner  the  blub 


ber  is  sliced  the  more  oil  it  will  yield.     Mincers  con 
sider  themselves  perfect  in  their  branch  of  the  busi- 


56  DESCRIPTION    OF    UTENSILS. 

ness  when  they  can  make  "  Bible  leaves."  In  con 
nection  with  the  mincing  knife  should  be  mentioned 
the  "  mincing  horse,"  which  is  simply  a  board  about 
three  feet  long  and  ten  inches  wide,  fastened  to  the 
bulwarks,  and  supported  by  a  leg;  upon  this  "  horse" 
the  blubber  is  laid  for  the  knife.  A  large  tub  iri 
front  of  the  mincer,  and  under  the  horse,  receives 
the  minced  blubber.  When  this  tub  -is  full,  the 
minced  pieces  are  thrdwn  into  another  tub  close  by 
the  try-works,  from  which  they  are  thrown  into  the 
boilers  with  a  large  fork,  which  is  represented  in  the 
following  cut. 

The  fork  is  also  used  to  stir  up  the  blubber  in  the 


try-pots ;  and  when  the  pieces  become  sufficiently 
crisp,  they  are  thrown  into  a  large  wooden  vessel 
for  fuel,  by  means  of  a  copper  strainer. 

The  strainer   which  this  cut  represents,  drains 


the  oil  from  the  crisped  pieces,  or  "scraps,"  and 

sometimes  serves  as  a  cooking  utensil  for  the  sailors. 

The  dipper  is  used  to  bail  the  oil  out  of  the  try- 


pots  into  the  copper  cooler  by  the  side  of  the  try- 
works. 


DRAG    AND    TUB. 


57 


This  cut  represents  the  pike,  a  sharp,  cjurved  iron, 


to  which  is  attached  a  long  oak  or  hickory  handle, 
used  to  pass  the  horse  piece  from  the  hold,  and  push 
the  heavy  pieces  of  "  lean"  overboard. 

The  "drag"  is  a  piece   of  board   about  fifteen 


inches  in  diameter,  of  an  octagonal  form,  with  a 
block  of  wood  passing  through  the  center,  to  which 
a  line  is  attached,  and  which  is  prevented  from  slip 
ping  through  by  shoulders  on  the  other  side.  After 
the  whale  has  been  fastened  to  by  the  harpoon,  the 
drag  is  thrown  overboard,  secured  to  the  whale-line, 
so  as  to  impede  his  progress  and  tire  him  down. 
I  give  a  view  of  the  "  tub"  merely  for  the  purpose 


of  showing  the  careful  manner  in  which  it  is  neces 
sary  to  coil  up  the  line.     The  slightest  tangle  or 

H 


58  OPINION    OF    WHALES. 

knot  in  a  whale-line  would  endanger  the  lives  of  the 
whole  boat's  crew,  from  the  great  velocity  with  which 
it  runs  out.  Great  care  is,  therefore,  observed  in 
making  each  layer  perfectly  smooth,  so  that  it  may 
have  a  free  run. 

These  are  the  principal  implements  employed  in 
the  process  of  capturing,  cutting  in,  and  trying  out 
the  sperm  whale.  It  is  hardly  necessary  to  go  into 
dry  details  at  greater  length ;  for  were  I  to  under 
take  a  description  of  every  thing  pertaining  to  whal 
ing,  there  is  no  telling  where  it  would  end. 

I  was  much  amused  at  the  remarks  of  the  "  down- 
easter,"  suggested  by  the  novel  appearance  of  our 
first  whale.  I  observed  him,  as  he  leaned  over  the 
monkey-rail,  gazing  steadfastly  at  the  whale,  while 
he  muttered  something  to  himself  which  I  could  not 
hear. 

"  Well,  Mack,"  said  I,  "  what's  your  opinion  of 
whales  f 

"  Why,  I  was  jest  a  thinkin'  it's  a  considerable 
sort  of  a  fish.  They  ain't  got  fish  like  that  up  the 
Kennebeck." 

"  I  guess  not.  Still  it  is  nothing  like  so  large  as 
the  whale  Jonah  swallowed." 

"  By  gosh !"  shouted  Mack,  laughing,  "  if  his'n 
was  bigger  than  that,  I'll  be  durned  if  the  flukes  didn't 
tickle  his  throat,  if  he  was  as  sea-sick  as  I  was  a 
spell  ago." 

"  Do  you  think  whales  are  fish  ?"  said  I,  rather 
balked  in  my  attempt  to  quiz  him. 


MACK'S    REPUGNANCE    TO    WHALES  59 

"  Why,  some  folks  says  whales  isn't  fish  at  all.  I 
rayther  calculate  they  are,  myself.  Whales  has  fins, 
so  has  fish ;  whales  has  slick  skins,  so  has  fish ; 
whales  has  tails,  so  has  fish ;  whales  ain't  got  scales 
on  'em,  neither  has  catfish,  nor  eels,  nor  tadpoles, 
nor  frogs,  nor  horse-leeches.  I  conclude,  then, 
whales  is  fish.  Every  body  had  oughter  call  'em  so. 
Nine  out  of  ten  doos  call  'em  fish.  If  whales  live  on 
small  fish,  they'd  drive  a  smashin'  business  up  the 
Kennebeck.  I  never  see  none  up  thar'.  If  I  was  a 
whale,  I'd  try  them  diggins.  There  ain't  better  fod 
der  for  whales  no  whar'.  This  may  be  a  good  place, 
for  all  I  know ;  but  it  looks  dreadful  blue  and  lone 
some.  I'd  want  to  be  in  fresh  water,  if  I  was  a 
whale;  and  then,  if  I  wanted  to  season  the  vittles 
Natur'  gave  me,  I'd  pile  the  salt  on  rayther  more 
moderate.  I'd  salt  'em  to  suit  me.  I  don't  like  to 
be  forced  to  eat  salt  vittles  now,  and  I  ain't  a  whale. 
Whales  is  cannibals.  I've  a  bad  opinion  of 'em  my 
self.  I  don't  like  the  looks  of  'em,  no  how.  Gosh ! 
what  a  jaw  !  I'd  rayther  let  'em  be,  and  do  business 
on  a  smaller  scale.  Folks  that  doos  business  on  a 
small  scale  ain't  so  likely  to  git  bu'st.  Fishin's  a 
fishin'.  I  like  fishin'  as  well  as  any  body ;  but 
catchin'  of  whales  is  a  leetle  too  extensive.  It's  or- 
fully  alarmin'  work.  I  don't  want  to  be  swallered 
jest  yet ;  not  in  the  whalin'  line,  I  don't !" 

At  daylight  next  morning  all  hands  were  called, 
and  set  to  work  upon  the  whale.  A  brief  descrip 
tion  of  the  process  of  procuring  the  oil  may  not  be 


60  MODE    OF    TRYING    OUT    OIL. 

uninteresting.  The  blubber  varies  from  four  to  ten 
inches  in  thickness.  It  is  cut  from  the  whale  in  lay 
ers  about  three  feet  wide,  which  run  from  the  head 
to  the  flukes,  in  a  spiral  form.  After  the  blubber 
and  flukes  are  hoisted  on  board  with  a  large  tackle 
attached  to  a  pendant  in  the  main-top,  the  boat- 
steerers  cut  them  in  sizes  sufficiently  small  to  fit 
snugly  in  the  blubber-room,  an  apartment  in  the 
main  hold.  The  try-works  are  then  cleaned  out, 
and  got  in  readiness  for  boiling.  Two  or  three 
hands  are  stationed  in  the  blubber-room  with  short 
spades,  whose  duty  it  is  to  cut  up  the  large  pieces 
of  blubber  called  blanket  pieces  into  blocks  or  pieces 
about  a  foot  and  a  half  long  and  six  inches  wide. 
The  blubber  is  then  minced  into  thin  slices,  and 
cast  into  the  boilers;  a  fire  started,  and  the  first 
batch  of  oil  obtained :  the  crisped  pieces  of  blubber 
are  used  for  fuel.  The  hot  oil  is  strained  into  a 
large  copper  cooler,  where  it  is  permitted  to  settle 
till  the  boilers  are  again  ready  to  be  emptied.  It  is 
then  strained  into  casks,  and  kept  on  deck  till  quite 
cool,  when  it  is  stowed  down  in  the  casks  in  the 
hold  by  means  of  a  hose. 

A  "  trying  out"  scene  is  the  most  stirring  part  of 
the  whaling  business,  and  certainly  the  most  dis 
agreeable.  The  try- works  are  usually  situated  be 
tween  the  fore-mast  and  the  main  hatch.  In  small 
vessels  they  contain  two  or  three  large  pots,  imbed 
ded  in  brick.  A  few  barrels  of  oil  from  the  whale's 
case,  or  head,  are  bailed  into  the  pots  before  com- 


THE    SHIP    AT    NIGHT. 


61 


mencing  upon  the  blubber.  Two  men  are  standing 
by  the  mincing  horse,  one  slicing  up  the  blubber,  and 
the  other  passing  horse  pieces  from  a  tub,  into  which 
they  are  thrown  by  a  third  hand,  who  receives  them 
from  the  hold.  One  of  the  boat-steerers  stands  in 
front  of  the  lee  pot,  pitching  the  minced  blubber  into 
the  pots  with  a  fork.  Another  is  stirring  up  the  oil, 
and  throwing  the  scraps  into  a  wooden  strainer.  We 
will  now  imagine  the  works  in  full  operation  at 
night.  Dense  clouds  of  lurid  smoke  are  curling  up 
to  the  tops,  shrouding  the  rigging  from  the  view. 
The  oil  is  hissing  in  the  try-pots.  Half  a  dozen  of 
the  crew  are  sitting  on  the  windlass,  their  rough, 


weather-beaten  faces  shining  in  the  red  glare  of  the 
fires,  all  clothed  in  greasy  duck,  and  forming  about 


62  CAPTAIN'S  SENTIMENTS. 

as  savage  a  looking  group  as  ever  was  sketched  by 
the  pencil  of  Salvator  Rosa.  The  cooper  and  one 
of  the  mates  are  raking  up  the  fires  with  long  bars 
of  wood  or  iron.  The  decks,  bulwarks,  railing,  try- 
works,  and  windlass  are  covered  with  oil  and  slime 
of  black-skin,  glistering  with  the  red  glare  from  the 
try-works.  Slowly  and  doggedly  the  vessel  is  pitch 
ing  her  way  through  the  rough  seas,  looking  as  if  en 
veloped  in  flames. 

"  More  horse  pieces !"  cries  the  mincer's  attend 
ant. 

"  Horse  pieces !"  echoes  the  man  in  the  waist. 

"  Scraps !"  growls  a  boat-steerer. 

By-and-by  the  captain  comes  up  from  the  cabin  to 
see  how  things  are  progressing.  He  peeps  into  the 
pots,  and  observes,  in  a  discontented  tone,  "  Why 
don't  you  keep  that  'ere  oil  stirred  ?  It's  all  getting 
black."  Then  he  takes  a  look  into  the  mincer's  tub : 
"  That  won't  do !  Make  Bible  leaves  of  'em."  Then 
he  looks  at  the  men  on  the  windlass :  "  Hey  !  all  idle  ? 
Give  these  fellows  something  to  do.  We  can't  have 
idlers  about  now." 

Having  delivered  himself  of  these  sentiments,  he 
goes  back  to  his  snug  nest  in  the  cabin.  The  idlers 
resume  their  places,  and  entertain  themselves  spin 
ning  yarns,  singing  songs,  &c.,  and  calculating  the 
time  by  the  moon.  About  the  middle  of  the  watch 
they  get  up  the  bread  kid,  and,  after  dipping  a  few 
biscuit  in  salt  water,  heave  them  into  a  strainer,  and 
boil  them  in  the  oil.  It  is  difficult  to  form  any  idea 


LUXURY    OF    A    WATCH    LUNCH.  63 

of  the  luxury  of  this  delicious  mode  of  cooking  on  a 
long  night-watch.  Sometimes,  when  on  friendly 
terms  with  the  steward,  they  make  fritters  of  the 
brains  of  the  whale  mixed  with  flour,  and  cook  them 
in  the  oil.  These  are  considered  a  most  sumptuous 
delicacy.  Certain  portions  of  the  whale's  flesh  are 
also  eaten  with  relish,  though,  to  my  thinking,  not  a 
very  great  luxury,  being  coarse  and  strong.  Mixed 
with  potatoes,  however,  like  "  porpoise  balls,"  they 
answer  very  well  for  variety.  A  good  appetite 
makes  almost  any  kind  of  food  palatable.  I  have 
eaten  whale-flesh  at  sea  with  as  much  relish  as  I 
ever  ate  roast-beef  ashore.  A  trying-out  scene  has 
something  peculiarly  wild  and  savage  in  it ;  a  kind 
of  indescribable  uncouthness,  which  renders  it  diffi 
cult  to  describe  with  any  thing  like  accuracy.  There 
is  a  murderous  appearance  about  the  blood-stained 
decks,  and  the  huge  masses  of  flesh  and  blubber 
lying  here  and  there,  and  a  ferocity  in  the  looks  of 
the  men,  heightened  by  the  red,  fierce  glare  of  the 
fires,  which  inspire  in  the  mind  of  the  novice  feel 
ings  of  mingled  disgust  and  awe.  But  one  soon  be 
comes  accustomed  to  such  scenes,  and  regards  them 
with  the  indifference  of  a  veteran  in  the  field  of  bat 
tle.  I  know  of  nothing  to  which  this  part  of  the 
whaling  business  can  be  more  appropriately  com 
pared  than  to  Dante's  pictures  of  the  infernal  re 
gions.  It  requires  but  little  stretch  of  the  imagina 
tion  to  suppose  the  smoke,  the  hissing  boilers,  the 
savage-looking  crew,  and  the  waves  of  flame  that 


64  "LAND    HO!" 

burst  now  and  then  from  the  flues  of  the  furnace, 
part  of  the  paraphernalia  of  a  scene  in  the  lower  re 
gions.  Our  "  down-easter,"  who  always  had  some 
thing  characteristic  to  say  of  every  thing  that  fell 
under  his  observation,  very  sagely  remarked  on  one 
occasion,  when  nearly  suffocated  with  smoke,  that 
"  if  this  warn't  h — 1  on  a  small  scale,  he  didn't  know 
what  to  call  it." 

Of  the  unpleasant  effects  of  the  smoke  I  scarcely 
know  how  any  idea  can  be  formed,  unless  the  curi 
ous  inquirer  choose  to  hold  his  nose  over  the  smok 
ing  wick  of  a  sperm  oil  lamp,  and  fancy  the  disagree 
able  experiment  magnified  a  hundred  thousand  fold. 
Such  is  the  romance  of  life  in  the  whale  fishery.  I 
have  thus  endeavored  to  describe  a  trying-out  scene ; 
and  I  hope,  with  the  aid  of  a  drawing  taken  on  the 
spot,  my  hasty  sketch  will  not  be  altogether  unintel 
ligible. 

We  saw,  during  our  cruise  on  the  western  ground, 
great  numbers  of  black-fish,  grampus,  porpoises,  and 
jumpers ;  and  caught  in  abundance  dolphins,  alba- 
core,  bonitos,  and  skip-jacks,  which  are  all  dry,  and 
not  to  be  compared  with  bay-fish. 

September  5th. — Killed  a  black-fish,  which  yielded 
three  barrels  of  oil. 

September  IQth. — At  sunrise  this  morning  the  man 
at  the  mast-head  saluted  us  with  the  cry  of  "Land 
ho  !"  All  hands  were  on  deck  in  an  instant.  The 
land  proved  to  be  the  P£^_°/  Pico,  one  of  the 
Azores,  or  Western  Islands,  distant  sixty  miles. 


65 

During  the  day  it  became  more  distinct,  and  toward 
evening  could  be  seen  from  the  deck,  bearing  west- 
northwest.  Pico,  at  this  distance,  has  much  the 
appearance  of  Teneriffe.  The  naked  eye  could 
scarcely  distinguish  the  peak  from  the  clouds  on  the 
horizon  at  so  great  a  distance ;  but  I  was  told  that 
Pico  could  be  seen,  on  a  clear  day,  at  the  distance 
of  a  hundred  and  twenty  miles.  It  resembles,  when 
first  in  sight,  a  dark  blue  cloud,  the  top  of  which  is 
distinctly  marked,  while  the  base  is  lost  in  clouds  of 
a  lighter  cast,  mingling  with  the  haze  on  the  horizon. 
Fayal,  another  of  the  Azores,  lying  to  the  north 
ward  of  Pico,  within  about  seven  miles,  was  not  visi 
ble  at  so  great  a  distance. 

On  Sunday,  llth  of  September,  we  made  the  isl 
and  of  Terceira,  the  largest  of  the  Azores. 

The  wind  being  light,  we  did  not  approach  near 
enough  to  see  the  houses  and  farms  until  next  day, 
when  we  ran  under  the  lee  coast  to  avoid  an  im 
pending  gale. 

Terceira  is  a  remarkably  picturesque  island,  beau 
tifully  laid  out  in  farms,  which,  at  this  season  of  the 
year,  have  a  rich  golden  hue  that  bespeaks  abun 
dant  crops.  The  coast  is  broken  and  rugged,  and 
in  many  places  so  steep  as  to  preclude  the  possibility 
of  ascent.  Part  of  the  island  seems  to  have  been 
ingulfed  by  an  earthquake,  which  accounts  for  the 
rugged  appearance  of  the  coast.  It  is  visited  at  cer 
tain  seasons  of  the  year  by  heavy  gales  and  rains, 
especially  in  October  and  November,  when  there  is 

I 


66  TRAFFICKING    FOR    ONIONS. 

frequently  danger  in  approaching  it.  While  we  lay 
off  and  on,  awaiting  a  suitable  opportunity  of  run 
ning  in,  we  had  hard,  shifting  winds,  and  it  rained 
almost  incessantly.  Mount  Brazil,  and  other  eleva 
ted  portions  of  the  island,  were  covered  most  of  the 
time  with  white,  misty  clouds. 

September  13th. — At  eight  P.M.  the  waist-boat 
was  lowered.  As  I  belonged  to  this  boat,  I  was  per 
mitted  to  go  ashore.  We  had  a  hard  pull  of  about 
six  miles  before  we  made  the  beach.  After  running 
along  for  a  mile  or  two  in  search  of  a  good  landing, 
we  entered  a  small  cove,  forming  a  safe  harbor  for 
boats,  where  we  found  an  excellent  landing  among 
the  fish-boats  belonging  to  that  portion  of  the  inhab 
itants  who  follow  fishing  as  well  as  farming  for  a 
livelihood.  In  less  than  an  hour,  the  governor  and  a 
large  posse  of  ragged  officers  came  down,  loaded  with 
baskets  of  potatoes,  onions,  and  fruit  We  had  pro 
vided  ourselves  with  a  barrel  of  black-fish  oil  for  pur 
poses  of  traffic,  that  being  a  commodity  greatly  in 
demand  on  these  islands.  A  circle  was  immediate 
ly  formed  around  our  captain,  who,  with  two  Portu 
guese  interpreters,  dealt  out  the  oil  at  the  rate  of  a 
quart  for  a  bushel  of  fine  potatoes  or  a  large  bunch 
of  onions.  It  took  us  at  this  rate  but  a  very  short 
time  to  fill  the  boat,  the  inhabitants  supplying  us 
much  more  rapidly  than  the  oil  could  be  measured 
out. 

The  scene  was  one  of  great  novelty  and  interest 
to  me.  I  had  charge  of  the  boat,  so  that  I  could 


TEMPTING    BARGAINS.  67 

look  on  at  my  leisure.  A  fleet  of  storm-beaten  fish- 
boats,  with  crews  of  sunburned  fishermen,  lay  in  the 
cove  at  anchor.  Other  boats  were  constantly  com 
ing  in  from  the  offing  or  going  out ;  and  several 
crazy  vessels  of  a  larger  size  were  drawn  up  on  the 
rocks,  apparently  basking  in  the  sun  for  want  of 
something  better  to  do. 

The  shore  at  this  place  is  very  rugged  and  rocky, 
running  up  abruptly  about  a  hundred  yards,  where 
it  is  joined  by  the  base  of  a  large  bank  of  sand  and 
rock,  interspersed  with  cane  and  briers.  A  pathway 
leads  up  through  the  defiles  between  the  rocks  to 
the  foot  of  this  bank,  winding  thence  circuitously  to 
the  summit,  which  is  half  a  mile  from  the  water. 
Close  by  the  boat-landing  there  is  a  large  cavern,  in 
which  the  fishermen  take  shelter  from  the  inclement 
weather  so  prevalent  on  the  shores.  The  inhabi 
tants  residing  in  the  neighborhood  procure  water 
from  a  small  spring  gushing  from  the  rocks  immedi 
ately  under  the  brow  of  this  cave.  Altogether  it 
forms  one  of  the  most  useful  and  romantic  features 
in  the  scene. 

Before  our  boat  had  left  the  shore,  news  of  its  ar 
rival  had  spread  all  over  the  island,  and  crowds  of 
the  peasantry,  of  both  sexes  and  of  every  age,  came 
flocking  down,  laden  with  baskets  of  fruit,  potatoes, 
onions,  melons,  and  other  refreshments  calculated  to 
tempt  the  crew  of  a  whaler. 

The  dress  of  the  females,  though  of  coarse  mate 
rial,  struck  me  as  being  rather  picturesque.  A  white 


68  BEAUTIFUL    BRUNETS. 

handkerchief  tastefully  arranged  on  the  head,  a  loose 
spenser  of  blue  cotton  extending  to  the  waist,  and  a 
short  frock  with  a  fringe  of  blue  or  pink,  and  a  pair 
of  light  shoes,  form  the  simple  costume  of  most  of 
these  "  ladies."  Those  between  fifteen  and  eighteen 
years  are  very  pretty  and  well-formed  ;  and,  indeed, 
I  saw  many  whose  jet-black  hair,  bright  eyes,  and 
rich  complexion  would  be  regarded  as  beautiful  by 
connoisseurs  fond  of  the  brunet  style.  Few  of  the 
older  females  are  even  passable.  The  rarest  speci 
mens  of  hags  and  leather-skinned  witches  are  to  be 
found  among  the  ancient  dames  of  the  island,  who, 
with  an  activity  undiminished  by  age,  skip  about 
from  rock  to  rock  shrieking  at  the  juveniles.  The 
different  classes  of  males  can  not  be  distinguished  by 
any  fixed  style  of  dress,  most  of  them  wearing  such 
ragged  apparel  as  can  be  purchased  from  the  crews  of 
whalers.  In  this  particular  each  individual  seemed  to 
consult  his  own  taste,  rather  than  follow  any  particu 
lar  fashion.  Round  jackets,  loose  frocks,  small  clath 
caps,  all  covered  with  patches  of  a  hundred  different 
colors,  are  the  articles  in  most  general  use.  The  men 
and  boys  usually  carry  long  poles  or  staffs  to  assist 
them  in  climbing  the  rocky  parts  of  the  shore. 

About  noon  we  returned  to  the  vessel  for  a  farther 
supply  of  oil,  having  bartered  all  we  had  carried 

ashore  for  a  boat-load  of  refreshments.     On  our  re- 

• 

turn  to  the  island,  great  numbers  of  new-comers 
stood  on  the  rocks  awaiting  our  approach.  Some 
of  the  governor's  officers  from  Angra  had  also  come 


TOBAC."  69 

down  to  prevent  the  importation  of  tobacco  without 
the  usual  exorbitant  duty.  Notwithstanding  their 
vigilance,  however,  I  was  beckoned  aside  by  two  or 
three  young  islanders,  who  had  baskets  of  apples  and 
figs  for  barter.  Their  eagerness  to  be  understood, 
and  my  gesticulations  to  assure  them  that  the  vocif 
erous  rapidity  with  which  they  spoke  Portuguese  did 
not  make  it  a  jot  more  intelligible  to  me,  were  very 
amusing.  After  a  variety  of  attempts  to  make  them 
selves  intelligible,  one  of  them  cried  out,  pointing  to 
his  basket  of  figs, 

"  Present  me  tobac,  I  present  you  fig." 

"  I  have  no  tobacco." 

"  Yes,  tobac  here,"  feeling  my  pockets. 

"  No,  there  is  no  tobacco  there." 

"  What !  you  no  got  tobac  chew  I" 

"  No." 

"  No  tobac  smoke  V 

«  No." 

"  Tobac  chew,  smoke,  snuff,  no  got  ?" 

I  assured  him  that  I  had  none  of  any  kind ;  but, 
still  doubtful,  he  endeavored  to  insinuate  his  hand 
into  my  pocket.  This  liberty  I  rather  unceremoni 
ously  repulsed.  Not  at  all  displeased,  he  continued 
to  petition  me  for  "  tobac."  Finding  me  unable  or 
unwilling  to  accommodate  him,  he  began  to  perse 
cute  me  for  a  knife. 

"  Present  me  knife,  signer  ?" 

"  I  have  no  knife  to  trade." 

"  Present  you  fig,  present  you  apple,  me." 


70  FONDNESS    FOR    KNIVES. 

"  I  can't  trade  to-day.  To-morrow  I'll  buy  your 
figs." 

"  Suppose  you  show  me  knife  ?" 

"  No  knife  to  sell." 

"  Ah,  me  feel !"  putting  his  hand  on  my  pocket. 
As  he  still  remained  unsatisfied,  I  handed  him  a 
jack-knife  to  look  at. 

"  Star  bon  !"  said  he,  eagerly  grasping  the  treasure, 
and  thrusting  it  into  his  pocket ;  "  bon !  bon  !  star 
bon  knife !" 

The  knife  belonged  to  one  of  my  shipmates,  and 
I  was  unwilling  to  lose  it. 

"  No  bon  for  you !"  said  I,  catching  him  by  the 
collar. 

"  Oh,  yes,  bon  for  me." 

"  Oh,  no  bon  for  you.  Hand  it  out,  my  friend,  or 
I'll  show  you  a  Kentucky  trick.  Do  you  know  any 
thing  about  gouging  here  1" 

"  Me  like  knife  much  !"  shouted  the  rogue,  laugh 
ing.  Finding  me  resolute,  however,  he  very  unwill 
ingly  complied  with  my  demand.  By  this  time 
about  fifty  ragged  urchins,  a  few  superannuated  bel 
dames,  and  a  number  of  shaggy-faced  fishermen  had 
gathered  around  me,  vociferating  loudly  for  "  tobac." 
They  were  thrusting  toward  me  all  kinds  of  fruits 
produced  on  the  island,  eagerly  demanding  in  return 
"  tobac  chew  !  tobac  smoke  !  knife  !"  which  are  the 
only  articles  of  trade  they  seem  to  stand  in  need  of. 
The  boys  went  so  far  as  to  tempt  me  with  large 
pieces  of  greasy  and  half-nibbled  corn  bread,  shriek- 


IMPRESSION    OF    CHARACTER.  71 

ing,  like  a  gang  of  young  devils,  "  Tobac  smoke !  to- 
bac  !  tobac  !" 

Captain  A and  a  Portuguese  interpreter,  as 
sisted  by  the  second  mate,  were  mean  time  busily 
engaged  dealing  out  black-fish  oil  to  the  islanders  for 
onions  and  potatoes,  under  the  superintendence  of 
the  governor,  who  stood  by  to  see  fair  play  on  both 
sides.  The  boat,  as  soon  as  it  was  laden,  was  once 
more  manned,  and,  with  no  very  favorable  impression 
respecting  the  character  of  the  natives,  I  left  for  the 
vessel. 

Next  day  the  waist-boat  was  again  lowered.  This 
time  I  provided  myself  with  knives  and  tobacco,  in 
order  to  secure  a  supply  of  fruit  and  other  luxuries 
preparatory  to  our  long  cruise.  The  captain,  on 
landing,  finding  that  the  islanders  were  not  ready 
with  their  recruits,  gave  us  an  hour's  liberty.  This 
was  the  only  opportunity  I  had  of  seeing  the  interior 
of  the  island. 

After  some  hard  climbing,  I  ascended  the  precip 
itous  bank  of  rock  and  sand  to  which  allusion  has 
been  made.  Following  close  in  the  wake  of  two 
Portuguese  belonging  to  the  barque,  I  soon  found 
myself  on  a  road  which  runs  circuitously  round  the 
island.  At  the  junction  of  the  road  and  the  path 
way  leading  from  the  boat-landing  stands  a  little 
stone  chapel,  surmounted  by  a  cross.  A  stair-way 
of  rough  stone  leads  from  the  chapel  down  to  the 
road,  at  which  point  are  stationed  two  sentinels. 

The  first  object  of  interest  that  struck  my  eye  on 


72  A    RURAL    DUCHESS. 

entering  the  road  was  a  singular  vehicle,  in  which 
sat  a  lady  of  rank,  as  I  learned  from  the  sailors.  It 
was  a  rough  cart,  with  wooden  wheels,  constructed 
of  solid  block,  and  was  driven  by  two  men,  one  at 
each  side  of  a  yoke  of  oxen.  The  aristocratic  belle 
held  a  blue  cotton  umbrella  over  her  head,  and  sat 
quite  contentedly  on  a  bundle  of  straw,  leaning  back 
with  as  much  dignity  as  if  she  were  a  duchess  in  the 
most  magnificent  carriage.  A  dark  little  urchin,  ten 
or  twelve  years  of  age,  protected  her  from  the  flies 
with  a  green  branch.  Her  dress  was  of  blue,  fringed 
with  some  sort  of  red  material.  On  her  head  she 
wore  a  handkerchief  of  snowy  whiteness,  as  is  cus 
tomary  with  the  females  of  all  ranks  on  the  island 
of  Terceira.  Her  long,  black  hair  fell  over  her 
shoulders  with  a  graceful  and  coquetish  wave.  The 
drivers  stopped,  in  order  to  satisfy  the  curiosity  of 
their  fair  charge ;  and  as  the  desire  to  see  was  mu 
tual,  and,  on  her  part,  natural,  the  fair  damsel  stared 
at  me  and  I  at  her,  till,  stared  out  of  countenance,  ] 
pursued  my  journey  up  the  road,  leaving  her  to 
make  such  comments  on  my  appearance  as  she 
thought  proper. 

My  Portuguese  cicerones  were  some  distance 
ahead  of  me.  I  had  a  long  run  before  I  caught  up 
with  them.  Wishing  to  purchase  some  apples,  I 
inquired  of  Manuel,  a  cross-grained  fellow,  the  name 
of  apples  in  his  language.  "Calabooca  loco!"  said 
he,  making  use  of  an  exclamation  of  contempt,  which 
I  mistook  for  the  desired  information,  but  which  I 


"CALABOOCA    LOCO."  73 

afterward  learned  meant  "  Hold  your  tongue,  you 
fool!"  a  remark  very  common  among  these  people. 
Ignorant  of  my  mistake,  I  walked  on,  repeating  the 
words  over,  till  I  came  to  a  cottage,  at  the  door  of 
which  stood  an  elderly  woman  of  respectable  appear 
ance.  Peeping  over  her  shoulders  were  three  or 
four  girls,  endeavoring  to  get  a  look  at  the  stranger. 

"  Com  estha,  signora"  said  I,  mustering  up  all  my 
Portuguese.  "  Have  you  any  calabooca  loco  ?" 

"  Qui  ?"  cried  the  woman,  staring  at  me. 

"  Calabooca  loco !"  shouted  I,  hoping  to  make  my 
self  understood  by  the  loudness  of  my  voice  and  my 
very  marked  emphasis.  Much  to  my  astonishment, 
the  girls  ran  back  from  the  door,  laughing  in  the 
most  unaccountable  manner.  Presuming  they  had 
misunderstood  me,  from  some  defect  in  the  pronun 
ciation,  I  clearly  and  distinctly  repeated  the  words. 
At  this  there  was  a  renewed  burst  of  laughter  from 
the  girls,  and  a  furious  tirade,  no  doubt  made  up  of 
all  the  slang  in  the  Portuguese  vocabulary,  from  the 
worthy  mistress  of  the  cottage. 

"  Confound  it !"  said  I,  impatient  at  not  making 
my  Portuguese  intelligible,  "you  don't  understand 
your  own  language.  Calabooca  loco!  Don't  you 
know  what  that  is,  signora  ?"  pointing  to  my  mouth. 

Upon  this  she  stepped  back  into  the  cottage,  and 
presently  reappeared  with  a  large  slice  of  bread.  I 
was  glad  enough  to  get  a  piece  of  "soft  Tommy,"  so 
I  did  not  complain  of  the  mistake.  As  she  was  go 
ing  away  she  said  something  in  Portuguese,  which, 

K 


74  MOUNT    BRAZIL. 

of  course,  I  did  not  understand.  However,  I  me 
chanically  repeated  the  words,  "  Calabooca  loco !" 
hoping  she  might  accidentally  guess  my  meaning. 

"  Santa  Maria !"  shrieked  the  woman,  shaking 
her  doubled  fist  at  me,  amid  the  roars  of  laughter 
from  the  group  behind  her;  "caiso?  caiso?"  and  ut 
tering  a  complicated  anathema,  she  shut  the  door  in 
my  face. 

All  this  time  my  comrades  were  standing  up  the 
road  at  a  short  distance,  holding  their  sides  with 
laughter. 

We  passed  several  neat  cottages  about  a  mile  in 
land,  at  which  point  the  mountains  commence. 
There  is  a  gradual  slope  thence  for  about  two  miles 
up  the  sides  of  the  mountains,  where  the  ascent  be 
comes  abrupt,  and  the  land  too  barren  and  rocky  for 
cultivation.  Pursuing  our  way  along  the  road  half 
a  mile  farther,  we  arrived  at  the  door  of  a  cottage  on 
the  summit  of  a  pleasant  hill,  affording  a  beautiful 
and  extensive  prospect.  Immediately  in  the  rear  is 
Mount  Brazil,  which  ascends  gradually  till  the  sum 
mit  is  hidden  from  the  eye  in  ranges  of  clouds.  On 
either  side  the  country  is  undulating  and  picturesque. 
Cottages  peeping  out  from  clusters  of  grape-vines, 
fig-trees,  vineyards,  corn-fields,  and  green  meadows, 
form  some  of  the  pleasing  features  in  the  scene.  A 
large  ravine,  extending  to  the  coast,  affords  a  fine 
view  of  the  ocean,  which  even  in  calm  weather  dash 
es  in  upon  the  rocks,  and  shoots  up  the  spray  in 
misty  clouds.  The  little  fish-boats  belonging  to  the 


INVITATION    TO    DINE.  75 

islanders   may   be   seen    constantly   dashing   about 
among  the  rocks,  guided  by  the  daring  fishermen. 

I  was  aroused  from  the  reflections  inspired  by  this 
romantic  scene,  before  I  had  entered  into  the  full 
enjoyment  of  its  beauties,  by  the  voices  of  half  a 
dozen  of  the  cottagers,  vociferating  "  Tobac !  tobac, 
signor .'"  The  patriarch  of  the  flock,  a  venerable 
padre,  with  long,  sleek  hair,  kindly  invited  me  in,  and 
offered  me  a  chair  at  a  table  upon  which  was  spread 
a  light  repast.  As  the  invitation  was  made  with 
eager  gesticulations,  apparently  springing  from  the 
most  hospitable  motives,  I  did  not  decline  it.  The 
sight  of  vegetables,  and  fresh  bread,  however  coarse, 
was  peculiarly  tempting  to  one  who  had  been  two 
months  whetting  his  appetite  on  salt  junk.  The  old 
lady  of  the  house  brought  forth  sundry  additional 
rarities  from  her  larder,  while  a  boy  was  dispatched 
for  wine.  To  all  of  these  I  need  scarcely  say  I  did 
ample  justice.  My  hour's  liberty  was  by  this  time 
pretty  well  extended.  I  presented  each  of  my  en 
tertainers  with  a  plug  of  "  tobac,"  and  left  the  cot 
tage.  Before  I  had  proceeded  more  than  a  dozen 
yards,  the  whole  family  came  running  after  me,  hal 
looing  and  gesticulating  in  a  most  unintelligible  man 
ner.  "  More  tobac !  more  tobac !  no  bon  !  damn 
tief !"  were  the  only  words  I  could  understand.  The 
Portuguese  sailors  informed  me  that  I  had  not  paid 
for  my  dinner.  This,  thought  I,  is  hospitality  of  a 
new  description  !  I  gave  them  all  the  tobacco  I 
had,  and,  satisfied  that  I  had  well  remunerated  them, 


16  "  MORE    TOBAC  !" 

I  hurried  on,  amid  renewed  cries  of  "  More  tobac  ! 
no  bon  !  damn  tief !" 

Late  in  the  afternoon,  having  obtained  a  good 
supply  of  fruit  and  vegetables,  we  started  for  the 
barque,  which  lay  becalmed  about  three  miles  off. 

A  slow  current  setting  in  upon  the  rocks  com 
pelled  us,  soon  after  stowing  away  our  load,  to  take 
to  the  boats  and  tow.  There  was  not  a  breath  of 
air  to  fill  the  sails.  By  sundown  the  vessel  had 
drifted  within  a  few  cables'  lengths  of  the  rocks,  and 
would  inevitably  have  struck,  in  defiance  of  our  ef 
forts,  had  not  a  light  breeze  sprung  up,  and  afforded 
us  its  assistance.  In  half  an  hour  more  we  were 
bearing  away  under  all  sail. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

li  A  Gam." — Departure  from  Terceira. — Pico. — Island  of  Fayal. — 
Villa  Orta. — Part  with  my  Friend. — Landing  the  Sick. — Juggling 
for  a  Watch. — Departure  from  Fayal. — Gloomy  Prospects. 

IN  a  journal  of  this  kind,  containing  miscellaneous 
gatherings  of  every  description,  I  can  not  well  omit  a 
sketch  of  what,  in  nautical  phraseology,  is  termed 
"  a  gam.''  When  two  whalers  meet  on  any  of  the 
whaling  grounds,  it  is  usual  to  have  "  a  gam,"  or 
mutual  visit,  for  the  purpose  of  interchanging  the 
latest  news,  comparing  reckoning,  discussing  the 
prospect  of  whales,  and  enjoying  a  general  chit-chat. 


"  CAPTAIN    BUNKER."  77 

While  our  barque  lay  off  Terceira,  we  one  even 
ing  spoke  a  brother  whaler.  About  four  o'clock, 
when  the  decks  were  cleared  up,  the  waist-boat  was 
lowered,  and  we  went  on  board  with  the  captain.  A 
crew  from  the  stranger  returned  to  the  barque  with 
our  boat.  After  supper  we  had  a  social  smoke.  The 
musician  of  the  ship  was  then  called  upon  for  a  song. 
Seating  himself  comfortably  on  the  fore-hatches,  he 
cleared  his  throat,  and  gave  us  to  understand,  by  way 
of  a  prelude,  that  he  was  a  very  indifferent  singer. 
"  He  used  to  know  some  bang-up  songs,  but,  some 
how,  he  had  forgotten  them  all."  This,  of  course, 
only  served  to  whet  our  curiosity,  and  draw  forth 
renewed  calls  for  a  song.  "  Tom  was  a  first-rate 
singer.  Every  body  knew  Tom  could  sing.  It  was 
no  use  to  deny  it ;  Tom  must  sing !"  Pressed  on  all 
sides,  Tom  stuck  his  pipe  in  the  galley,  and  scratch 
ed  his  head  to  rub  up  the  musical  organs.  He  then 
assured  us  that  he  once  knew  a  great  many  songs. 

"  Come,  Tom  !"  cried  a  chorus  of  voices,  "  give  us 
'Captain  Bunker.'" 

"  Well,  if  I  must,  I  must;  here  goes  for  '  Captain 
Bunker/  " 

Tom  then  gave  us  the  following  whaling  ditty. 
As  it  is  a  good  specimen  of  sea-spun  poetry,  I  give 
it  without  alteration : 

«  CAPTAIN  BUNKER. 
"  Our  captain  stood  upon  the  deck, 

A  spyglass  in  his  hand, 
A  viewing  of  those  gallant  whales 
That  blowed  at  every  strand. 


78  "  DEATH    ON   THE    FIDDLE." 


Get  your  tubs  in  your  boats,  my  boys, 

And  by  your  braces  stand, 
And  we'll  have  one  of  those  gallant  whales, 

Hand,  boys,  over  hand  ! 
Chorus.    So  be  cheery,  my  lads !  let  your  hearts  never  fail 

While  the  bold  harpooneer  is  a  striking  of  the  whale  ! 

"  *  Overhaul,  overhaul ! 

Your  davit-tackles  fall, 
Till  you  land  your  boats  in  the  sea 

One  and  all !' 
Our  waist-boat  got  down, 

And  of  course  she  got  the  start : 
*  Lay  me  on,  Captain  Bunker, 
I'm  h — I  for  a  long  dart  /' 

So  be  cheery,  &c. 

«  Our  first  mate  he  struck, 

And  the  whale  he  went  down  ; 
The  captain  he  stood  by 

All  ready  for  to  bend  on  ; 
Which  caused  the  whale  to  vomic, 

And  the  blood  for  to  spout : 
In  less  than  ten  minutes 
He  rolled  both  fins  out ! 

So  be  cheeiy,  &c." 

Great  applause  was  awarded  Tom  for  the  credit 
able  manner  in  which  he  had  acquitted  himself.  But 
singing  was  not  altogether  Tom's  forte.  According 
to  the  representations  of  his  shipmates, he  was  "death 
on  the  fiddle !"  The  unanimous  requests  of  the 
party  were  not  to  be  resisted.  The  fiddler  was  com 
pelled  to  play ;  and,  while  the  two  high  functionaries 
aft  were  discussing  matters  of  grave  and  momentous 
import,  we  entertained  ourselves  dancing  "  shindys" 
to  the  lively  notes  of  Tom's  fiddle.  Those  who 
could  strike  their  heels  together  in  the  best  time,  go 


GAME    OF    THIMBLE.  79 

the  double-shuffle  with  the  greatest  activity,  and  tire 
down  their  comrades,  were  of  course  the  best  dan 
cers. 

We  next  had  the  game  of  thimble,  and  enjoyed 
some  rare  sport  when  it  came  to  the  part  in  which 
the  pawns  were  disposed  of.  A  master  of  the  cere 
monies,  provided  with  a  piece  of  ratlin,  was  station 
ed  at  the  windlass.  For  every  pawn,  the  unlucky 
wight  who  claimed  it  was  compelled  to  receive  a 
sharp  cut  on  that  part  politely  denominated  the 
"  seat  of  honor." 

These  lively  amusements  lasted  till  after  dark, 
when  we  began  to  experience  a  desire  for  something 
more  sober.  Among  the  crew  of  the  stranger,  I  no 
ticed  an  intelligent-looking,  middle-aged  man,  of 
rather  a  serious  cast  of  countenance.  When  our 
mirth  had  somewhat  subsided,  it  was  suggested  that 
we  should  have  a  "  yarn." 

All  eyes  were  immediately  turned  toward  the  man 
whose  appearance  had  attracted  my  attention.  "  Now 
you're  in  for  it,  Ned ;"  "  That's  a  fine  fellow,  Ned;" 
"Nobody  can  spin  a  yarn  like  Ned  Harrison;" 
"  Come,  shipmate,  give  us  something  about  ghosts  !" 
were  the  eager  remarks  on  all  sides.  Ned  replied  to 
the  appeal  by  modestly  stating  that  he  had  spun  all 
his  yarns  but  one,  and  that  was  a  mere  matter-of-fact 
history  of  an  old  shipmate,  which  he  didn't  think 
would  interest  any  body.  "  Never  mind ;  let's  have 
it,"  cried  all  in  a  breath ;  "  I'll  warrant  you  it's  a 
first-rate  yarn  ;  Ned  never  spun  a  bad  yarn  yet." 


80  SPINNING    YARNS. 

"  Why,"  said  Ned,  "  as  to  that,  I've  always  done 
my  best  to  amuse  you ;  and  if  you  feel  disposed  to 
listen  to  an  account  of  my  first  voyage  to  sea,  and 
the  murder  of  a  poor  fellow — " 

"  Oh,  go  ahead  !  any  thing  about  murder.  Let's 
have  it.  Come,  Ned,  that's  a  good  fellow !" 

"  As  I  was  going  to  say,"  continued  Ned,  "  I 
wouldn't  mind  boring  you  for  half  an  hour  or  so  ; 
but,  for  my  part,  I'd  rather  hear  a  good  song." 

"  No,  no  !  the  yarn  !  the  yarn  about  that  murder  ! 
Well,  how  did  it  happen  ?" 

"  If  I  must  tell  it,  I  suppose  there's  no  getting  out 
of  it,"  said  Ned,  with  the  air  of  a  martyr ;  "  but  I 
want  you  to  understand  it's  no  common  ghost  story." 

"  To  be  sure  ;  we  know  that.  All  right !  Go 
ahead  !" 

Ned  then  seated  himself  on  the  hatch  by  the 
cook's  galley,  and,  surrounded  by  an  attentive  au 
dience,  gave  us 

"BOB  GRIMSLEY'S  GHOST. 

"  I  am  about  to  spin  you  a  tough  yarn ;  rather 
hard  to  believe,  but  true  for  all  that.  The  good  old 
times  when  ghosts  didn't  care  a  sou-markee  when 
or  how  they  appeared,  are  gone,  and  I'm  sorry  for 
it.  I  have  a  natural  fondness  for  ghosts ;  I  was  rais 
ed  with  them,  and  feel  as  if  they  were  my  best  com 
panions.  Somehow,  whenever  a  ghost  appears  now 
adays,  there's  a  reason  for  it.  In  old  times  people 
didn't  want  a  reason  for  their  appearance;  it  was 


THE    MATE.  81 

enough  that  they  paid  their  visits  and  went  away 
like  regular,  well-behaved  ghosts  as  they  were. 

"My  first  voyage  to  sea  was  in  a  Cape  Horn 
whaler.  I  was  then  about  eighteen  years  of  age,  full 
of  fun  and  frolic,  fond  of  yarns,  and  a  devout  believ 
er  in  supernatural  appearances. 

"  There  were  only  three  aboard  the  ship  who  re 
quire  any  special  notice.  The  rest  were  just  the 
sort  of  officers  and  men  usually  found  in  whalers. 
One  of  those  to  whom  I  allude  was  Mr.  Rockford, 
the  mate. 

"  Though  severe  and  exacting  in  his  discipline, 
this  officer  was  not  disliked  by  the  crew,  for  he  was 
attentive  to  their  comfort,  and  as  good  a  whaleman 
as  ever  walked  the  planks  of  a  Cape  Horner.    I  can 
never  forget  this  man's  looks.     There  was  some 
thing  peculiar  about  him,  which  kept  us  all  at  a  civil 
distance.     He  was  a  tall,  spare-made  man,  about 
thirty  years   of  age,  and   of  a  sallow  complexion. 
His  features  were  strongly  marked,  indicating  great 
determination  of  character.    There  was  nothiug  re 
pulsive  in  the  expression  of  his  countenance,  though, 
as  an  index  to  his  character,  it  bespoke  a  man  of 
strong  passions.     It  was  his  eye,  however,  that  dis 
tinguished  him  from  all  men  I  had  ever  seen.     Of  a 
piercing  gray,  stern,  calm,  melancholy,  it  penetra 
ted  the  inmost  recesses  of  one's  heart,  and  whoever 
felt  its  influence  once  was  glad  enough  to  avoid  it 
forever  after. 

"  Mr.  Rockford  was  a  man  of  few  words.     He 
L 


82  "YARN"  CONTINUED. 

kept  aloof  from  every  body,  so  far  as  his  duty  per 
mitted  him,  and  was  never  known  to  join  in  a  joke, 
or  exhibit  any  levity  in  his  intercourse  with  the  other 
officers.  As  a  natural  consequence,  he  was  left  to 
the  enjoyment  of  his  moody  thoughts.  No  one 
spoke  to  him  or  associated  with  him,  except  on  mat 
ters  of  ship-duty ;  not,  as  I  have  already  stated,  from 
any  dislike  to  him,  but  from  the  coldness  of  his  man 
ners,  and  his  apparent  desire  to  be  left  alone. 

"  I  come  now  to  my  shipmate,  Bob  Grimsley,  quite 
a  different  man  from  Mr.  Rockford.  If  I  mention 
him  with  partiality,  it  is  because  he  was  a  brave, 
generous,  and  manly  fellow;  one  who  had  often 
proved  himself  my  best  friend,  and  whose  melan 
choly  fate  revives  old  feelings.  A  better  sailor  never 
put  his  weight  on  a  brace.  Active  and  energetic, 
he  was  esteemed  the  very  best  man,  in  any  sudden 
emergency,  on  board  the  ship.  Jovial  in  his  dispo 
sition,  free,  cheerful,  and  intelligent,  he  was  the  life 
and  soul  of  the  whole  crew.  But  there  was  one 
man  who  hated  him  from  the  bottom  of  his  heart — 
whose  enmity  toward  him  seemed  insatiable ;  that 
man  was  Mr.  Rockford.  Grimsley  was  aware  of 
this ;  he  well  knew  the  cause.  They  had  lived  in 
the  same  town,  and  were  rival  suitors  for  the  hand 
of  a  fair  girl,  to  whom  both  were  passionately  at 
tached.  Accident  had  thrown  them  together  on 
this  voyage.  Grimsley  had  no  cause  to  return  the 
hatred  of  the  mate,  for  he  was  the  favored  lover,  and 
on  the  eve  of  his  departure  had  received  assurances 


PLOT    THICKENS.  83 

of  a  reciprocal  regard  from  the  object  of  his  attach 
ment. 

"  The  mate  treated  him  with  marked  fairness, 
never  taking  advantage  of  his  authority  to  gratify 
his  animosity.  Still  it  was  evident  he  regarded  him 
with  the  most  deadly  hatred. 

"  We  were  cruising  off  the  Fejee  Islands.  The 
weather  had  been  for  some  days  rough  and  squally. 
As  was  customary  in  such  cases,  the  mate  headed 
the  larboard  watch.  We  had  not  been  successful 
during  the  whole  cruise.  At  the  period  I  speak  of, 
Mr.  Rockford  was  more  strict  and  stern  than  ever. 
Something  appeared  to  weigh  heavily  upon  his 
mind,  the  nature  of  which  none  of  us  could  fathom. 
In  our  watch,  there  were,  besides  Grimsley  and  my 
self,  four  green  hands,  and  a  Spaniard  who  had 
shipped  as  an  able  seaman.  We  all  agreed  pretty 
well  except  the  Spaniard,  who  was  morose  and  sul 
len,  and  seldom  spoke  to  any  body.  This  man 
seemed  to  be  the  special  favorite  of  the  mate.  It 
was  impossible  to  conjecture  the  precise  character 
of  the  fellowship  which  existed  between  them,  for 
they  never  talked  to  each  other  within  hearing  of 
others  ;  but  on  many  occasions  we  saw  them,  in  the 
dead  of  night,  engaged  in  low  and  earnest  conver 
sation,  when  they  thought  the  watch  asleep.  Oth 
erwise  they  held  no  communication  calculated  to 
excite  suspicion.  Their  looks  —  and  looks  are 
enough  in  such  a  little  world  as  a  ship,  where  the 
least  thing  that  can  not  be  accounted  for  has  a  mys- 


8.4*  NED'S  DREAM. 

tery  connected  with  it — were  not  such  as  common 
ly  pass  between  an  officer  and  one  of  the  crew. 
What  this  mystery  tended  to,  or  what  the  nature  of 
their  secret  understanding  was,  puzzled  us  to  divine. 

"  One  night,  the  darkest  and  gloomiest  we  had 
had  for  a  week,  I  lay  in  my  bunk,  in  an  uneasy 
sleep.  I  had  worked  too  hard  that  day,  and  rested 
badly.  Perhaps  it  was  owing  to  this  that  I  was 
troubled  with  horrible  dreams.  Gradually  they  be 
came  centered  in  one,  and  this  had  a  startling  reality 
about  it  that  I  shall  never  forget. 

"  I  saw  in  my  dream  a  crowd.  The  figures  were 
dark  and  shadowy.  They  proceeded,  with  a  meas 
ured,  noiseless  tread,  toward  a  church.  I  followed 
the  sable  procession,  and,  when  we  entered  the 
church,  I  was  shocked  to  find  it  hung  with  mourn 
ing  dripping  with  blood.  Dressed  in  black,  Grims- 
ley  stood  at  the  altar,  supporting  his  bride,  a  young 
woman  with  a  pale  face  and  weeping  eyes.  There 
were  ghostly  figures  moving  to  and  fro  with  haggard 
looks.  A  horrid  gloom  pervaded  the  whole  scene. 
When  the  ceremony  was  over,  Grimsley  turned  to 
ward  me ;  his  face  was  that  of  a  corpse  !  With  a 
cry  of  horror,  I  awoke. 

"  Had  I  been,  as  I  am  now,  a  fatalist,  I  might  have 
known  how  useless  it  was  to  speak  to  Grimsley. 
However,  I  then  thought  he  could  be  saved,  and  I 
conjured  him  not  to  go  on  deck  that  night.  He 
scoffed  at  my  fears,  and  ridiculed  my  superstition. 
Still  I  begged,  I  implored  him  to  send  some  excuse 
to  the  mate.  To  that  he  would  not  listen. 


MAN    OVERBOARD  !  85 

"  We  had  middle  watch  on  deck.  Grimsley  had 
the  first  trick  at  the  helm.  I  relieved  him  in  two 
hours,  and  conjured  him,  as  he  left  me,  to  be  careful, 
for  my  dream  boded  him  no  good.  He  again  chided 
me  for  my  fears,  and  went  forward,  laughing  at  the 
solemnity  of  my  manner. 

"  I  had  not  been  long  at  the  helm,  when  a  heavy 
squall  came  on.  The  green  hands  were  sent  aloft 
to  take  in  the  light  sail,  and  Grimsley  and  the  Span 
iard  went  out  to  furl  the  jib.  Mr.  Rockford  was  on 
the  forecastle,  giving  orders.  The  roaring  of  the 
wind  smothered  their  voices.  Whenever  it  lulled 
for  a  moment,  I  thought  I  could  hear  the  mate 
shouting  to  the  men  out  on  the  jibboom.  At  length 
a  wild  cry  was  borne  aft  on  the  squall.  My  blood 
ran  cold  with  horror.  It  was  Grimsley's  voice.  In 
doubt  as  to  what  had  happened,  I  waited  a  few  mo 
ments  in  dreadful  suspense.  The  startling  words 
resounded  from  the  foretop,  which  one  of  the  green 
hands  had  just  reached  on  his  way  down,  '  A  man 
overboard !'  The  mate  came  running  aft,  with  a 
wildness  in  his  looks  that  thrilled  through  me. 

"  '  Hard  down  your  wheel !'  he  roared ;  '  down  ! 
down  with  the  wheel,  quick  !  Haul  aback  the  main 
yard!  Call  all  hands!'  The  crew  came  rushing 
up  from  the  forecastle,  half  naked  and  horror-strick 
en.  In  another  moment  the  captain  was  on  deck, 
calling  upon  the  crew  to  man  the  boats.  He  then 
addressed  a  few  words  to  them,  desiring  them  to  be 
calm  and  determined.  The  boats  were  lowered, 


86  GRIMSLEY    LOST. 

and  manned  by  the  brave  and  generous  shipmates 
of  the  unfortunate  Grimsley.  After  a  long  and  anx 
ious  search,  in  momentary  danger  of  their  lives,  they 
were  reluctantly  compelled  to  give  up  all  hope  of 
finding  the  body.  We  lay  aback  all  night.  Next 
morning  the  search  was  renewed,  but  finding  it  use 
less  to  delay  any  longer,  we  again  made  sail. 

"  There  was  a  deep  gloom  throughout  the  ship. 
Poor  Grimsley  was  gone  !  He  was  no  more  among 
us  to  cheer  us  in  the  hour  of  trial,  and  entertain  us 
in  the  hour  of  enjoyment.  I  need  not  dwell  upon 
our  grief.  It  is  only  at  sea  that  the  death  of  a  com 
rade  can  be  felt  with  all  its  poignancy  ;  and  that  you 
must  know,  even  if  you  have  never  experienced  it ; 
for  you  may  readily  imagine  what  it  is  to  lose  your 
best  friend,  when  his  place  can  not  be  supplied. 

"  The  Spaniard  said  that  Grimsley  had  fallen  from 
the  foot-rope  while  furling  the  jib.  Mr.  Rockford  cor 
roborated  his  statement,  and  nothing  farther  was  said 
on  the  subject.  Still  I  had  a  suspicion  that  there 
had  been  foul  play.  Knowing,  if  I  disclosed  it,  jus 
tice  would  in  all  probability  be  defeated,  I  kept  it  to 
myself,  resolved  to  watch  both  the  mate  and  the 
Spaniard. 

"  In  Mr.  Rockford  I  soon  observed  a  change.  His 
sallow  complexion  became  more  ghastly  than  ever; 
his  form  wasted  away  from  day  to  day;  his  step  be 
came  hasty  and  uncertain ;  his  eye  restless  and  hag 
gard.  There  was  a  settled  gloom  upon  his  features 
that  increased  their  sternness.  In  walking  the  quar- 


CHANGE    IN   ROCKFORD.  87 

ter-deck  he  frequently  stopped,  cast  his  eyes  down, 
and  muttered  incoherent  words  to  himself;  then,  as 
if  fearful  that  he  had  been  observed,  he  would  start 
and  look  anxiously  around  him.  Toward  the  other 
officers  he  was  more  reserved  than  ever.  He  never 
spoke,  except  in  the  discharge  of  his  duty,  and  then 
the  tones  of  his  voice  were  deep  and  stern.  It  was 
observed  by  the  crew  that,  in  the  weary  night-watch 
es,  he  would  often  stand  gazing  toward  the  horizon 
without  moving.  From  the  night  of  the  fatal  event 
he  was  never  known  to  smile. 

"  There  was  little  alteration  in  the  conduct  of  the 
Spaniard.  At  the  best  of  times  he  was  a  dogged, 
discontented  man ;  and  these  disagreeable  traits  in 
his  character  were  now  more  apparent  than  ever. 
When  below,  at  night,  he  would  frequently  jump  up 
before  the  watch  was  called,  and  go  on  deck,  utter 
ing  imprecations  upon  his  hard  fate.  With  these 
exceptions,  scarcely  any  change  had  taken  place  in 
his  conduct. 

"  Nearly  a  month  after  the  loss  of  Grimsley,  I  was 
sitting  between  the  man-ropes  keeping  a  look-out. 
It  was  a  fine  moonlight  night.  The  starboard  watch 
was  below.  All  who  were  on  deck,  except  myself 
and  Mr.  Rockford,  were  asleep  under  the  bulwarks, 
ready  for  a  call.  This  was  not  generally  allowed; 
but  the  mate,  who  was  pacing  the  quarter-deck  in 
moody  silence,  did  not  appear  to  notice  it.  I  was 
reflecting  upon  the  fate  of  poor  Grimsley,  and  think 
ing  over  the  suspicious  circumstances  connected  with 


88  GRIMSLEY'S  GHOST. 

it,  when  I  saw  the  figure  of  a  man,  in  a  dark  wind 
ing-sheet,  slowly  steal  up  from  the  forecastle.  His 
tread  was  noiseless  and  stealthy.  A  cold  tremor  ran 
through  my  blood.  I  could  see  him  stride  aft  like  a 
dim  shadow  toward  the  weather  side  of  the  quarter 
deck,  where  the  mate  stood.  The  dreadful  thought 
flashed  upon  me  that  it  was  the  spirit  of  my  deceased 
comrade.  Faint  with  horror,  and  possessed  by  an 
unaccountable  desire  to  see  the  face  of  the  ghostly 
figure,  I  followed  it  aft.  When  I  reached  the  quar 
ter-deck,  a  sight  more  fearful  than  the  dead  itself 
met  my  view.  The  man  at  the  helm  was  clinging 
to  the  wheel,  haggard  with  fright.  Mr.  Rockford 
stood  with  his  face  towai'd  the  taffrail,  motionless,  as 
if  transfixed  to  the  spot.  His  eyes  were  strained  till 
they  seemed  bursting  from  their  sockets ;  his  cheeks 
were  livid  and  bloodless ;  his  teeth  firmly  set.  The 
cold,  pale  rays  of  the  moon  glanced  upon  his  features, 
increasing  their  ghastliness.  It  was  a  spectacle  of 
appalling  wildness.  I  felt  the  blood  freeze  in  my 
veins  as  I  gazed  upon  him :  so  great  was  my  hor 
ror,  that  I  clung  to  a  rope  to  support  myself.  Gaunt, 
stiff,  speechless,  he  stood  before  me. 

"  '  See,  see  !  it  moves !"  he  suddenly  exclaimed. 
'There!  See  it!  Oh,  my  God!'  And,  with  a 
deep  groan,  he  staggered  back  against  the  bulwarks. 

"  I  immediately  ran  to  his  assistance.  He  was 
cold  and  inanimate.  I  awoke  the  men  on  deck,  and 
we  carried  him  below.  The  captain,  by  chafing  his 
temples,  brought  him  to  his  senses.  That  night  he 


ALTERCATION    ON    BOARD.  89 

remained  in  the  cabin  without  uttering  a  word.  No 
explanation  of  what  he  had  seen  could  be  obtained 
from  him.  The  man  at  the  wheel  stated  that  a  figure 
in  a  loose  dark  robe  had  brushed  past  him,  but  he 
was  so  frightened  he  could  not  recollect  its  height,  or 
the  direction  in  which  it  went. 

"  In  a  few  days  Mr.  Rockford  was  again  on  duty. 
There  was  a  frightful  change  in  his  appearance.  He 
walked  the  decks  a  living  skeleton.  His  eyes  were 
sunken,  though  they  still  retained  their  unearthly, 
melancholy  expression.  More  silent,  more  thought 
ful  than  ever,  he  now  seemed  to  care  very  little  about 
the  affairs  of  the  ship.  For  hours  he  would  stand 
leaning  against  the  bulwarks  buried  in  revery.  No 
one  chose  to  disturb  him ;  few  even  spoke  to  him. 
The  care  of  the  ship  devolved  principally  on  the 
captain,  who  vainly  endeavored  to  prevail  on  Mr. 
Rockford  to  go  below. 

"  Nothing  occurred  to  change  this  state  of  things 
for  several  days.  The  mate  continued  under  the  same 
fearful  depression  of  mind.  An  unnatural  gloom 
hung  over  the  whole  ship's  crew. 

"  One  evening  the  second  mate  got  into  an  alter 
cation  with  a  fore-mast  hand  named  Watkins,  who 
was  considered  a  good  boxer.  The  officer  attempt 
ed  to  rope's-end  him.  Watkins  knocked  him  down. 
This  was  too  heinous  an  offense  to  be  passed  over. 
The  offender  was  handcuffed,  and  confined  in  the 
run. 

"  In  the  middle  of  the  night  the  captain,  and  all 
M 


90  NOISE    IN    THE    HOLE. 

who  slept  in  the  cabin,  were  startled  by  a  loud  ham 
mering  under  the  cabin-deck.  These  noises  were 
followed  by  groans,  and  then  the  half-smothered  voice 
of  Watkins,  who  had  his  mouth  to  the  run-hatch,  was 
heard  crying,  '  Take  me  out  of  this  hole;  for  God's 
sake,  take  me  out  before  I'm  murdered !' 

"  The  hatch  was  lifted  off,  and  Watkins,  though 
no  coward,  crept  out,  shaking  as  if  he  had  an  ague. 

"  *  What's  the  matter  V  demanded  the  captain, 
angrily. 

"  '  Oh,  sir,  don't  put  me  in  the  run  again.  I'll  be 
murdered  if  you  do.  I  saw  him — saw  something 
horrible !' 

"  *  What  did  you  see  V  cried  the  captain,  turning 
pale. 

"  *  A  dead  man  /'  replied  Watkins,  and  his  teeth 
chattered  with  fear. 

"  '  Fetch  a  light  here,'  said  the  captain,  in  a  voice 
of  deep  solemnity. 

"  The  light  was  handed  to  him,  and,  accompanied 
by  the  steward,  he  descended  into  the  run.  After 
a  thorough  search,  without  seeing  any  thing  of  the 
apparition,  he  came  up,  cursing  the  cowardly  fears 
of  Watkins.  Mean  time,  while  all  this  was  going 
on,  Mr.  Rockford  stood  leaning  against  the  ladder, 
awaiting  the  result  of  the  search  with  haggard  looks. 

"  '  Mr.  Rockford;  said  the  captain, '  go  down  there, 
and  try  if  you  can  see  what  this  fool  is  raving  about.' 

" '  I'd  rather  not,  sir,'  replied  the  mate,  with  a  shud 
der. 


STRUGGLE    BELOW.  91 

"  '  What !  are  you  afraid  too  V 

"  '  No,'  replied  the  mate,  gloomily, '  I'm  not  afraid ; 
but  I  have  a  horror  of  that  place ;'  and  his  agitation 
increased.  A  cold  perspiration  stood  upon  his  fore 
head. 

"  '  Mr.  Rockford,'  said  the  captain,  sternly,  '  will 
you  set  such  an  example  of  cowardice  to  the  crew?' 

"  The  mate  made  no  reply,  but  seemed  buried  in 
thought.  At  length  he  determined  to  go  down  into 
the  run  alone.  He  took  the  light  in  his  hand,  and, 
forbidding  any  one  to  follow  him,  descended.  Half 
an  hour  elapsed.  The  captain  grew  impatient. 
Three  quarters  of  an  hour  passed,  and  the  smothered 
sounds  of  voices  and  blows,  as  if  two  men  were  en 
gaged  in  a  desperate  struggle,  issued  from  the  hatch 
way.  The  light  was  suddenly  blown  out,  there  was 
a  heavy  fall,  a  groan,  and  all  was  silent ! 

" '  A  light !  another  light !'  cried  the  captain,  trem 
bling  with  horror ;  *  quick !  Good  God !  what's  the 
matter  1  Mr.  Rockford,  speak  !  answer !' 

"  '  He's  dead !  he's  killed,  sir !'  exclaimed  Watkins, 
who  had  been  peering  down  through  the  hatch 
way. 

"  Another  light  was  quickly  produced,  and  the 
captain,  followed  by  several  of  the  affrighted  men, 
who  were  afraid  to  remain  alone  in  the  cabin,  de 
scended  into  the  run.  The  feeble  rays  of  the  lamp 
fell  upon  an  object  that  struck  the  boldest  aghast. 

"  Mr.  Rockford,  stretched  on  his  back,  his  hands 
convulsively  clinched,  his  features  horribly  distorted, 


92  SPANIARD    CONFINED. 

lay  bleeding  in  the  bottom  of  the  run.  There  was  a 
fearful  gash  across  his  forehead,  from  which  the  blood 
streamed  down,  disfiguring  his  face  and  dyeing  his 
clothes.  Upon  attempting  to  remove  him,  he  fell 
into  a  phrensy,  shrieking, 

" '  Take  him  away !  take  him  away  !  He  wants 
to  kill  me.  Save  me  !  save  me  !' 

"  As  soon  as  this  dreadful  paroxysm  was  over  he 
was  carried  up  and  placed  in  his  berth.  In  the 
course  of  the  night  he  recovered  his  senses,  but 
seemed  to  have  lost  the  faculty  of  speech. 

"  For  upward  of  a  week  he  was  confined  to  the 
cabin,  nor  could  he  be  prevailed  upon  by  entreaties 
or  by  threats  to  utter  a  single  word  in  relation  to 
what  he  had  seen,  or  by  whom  the  wound  in  his  fore 
head  had  been  inflicted. 

"  I  now  thought  it  time  to  disclose  what  I  knew 
of  Grimsley's  death.  The  utmost  surprise  was  mani 
fested  throughout  the  ship.  So  great  was  the  in 
dignation  of  the  crew,  that  it  required  the  severest 
exercise  of  the  captain's  authority  to  restrain  them 
from  taking  summary  vengeance  on  the  supposed 
murderers  of  their  comrade. 

"On  the  strength  of  my  evidence  the  Spaniard 
was  arrested  and  put  in  irons.  Mr.  Rockford  was 
left  at  liberty  in  the  cabin,  but  peremptorily  forbidden 
to  go  on  deck.  Watkins  was  released,  with  a  severe 
reprimand  to  behave  himself  better  in  future. 

"  We  continued  our  cruise  without  any  thing  far 
ther  occurring  for  nearly  a  month.  The  events 


ROCKFORD    MISSING.  93 

which  had  created  such  commotion  among  us  had 
almost  ceased  to  be  topics  of  conversation,  and  we 
began  to  look  forward  to  the  end  of  our  cruise  and 
the  comforts  of  home.  This  state  of  tranquillity  was 
suddenly  interrupted  by  the  disappearance  of  the 
mate.  In  a  fit  of  insanity  he  had  noiselessly  let  him 
self  down  from  one  of  the  cabin  ports  by  a  rope. 
Several  hours  elapsed  before  he  was  missed.  A  search 
was  made,  and  all  that  was  discovered  was  the  rope 
as  he  had  left  it. 

"  On  the  same  night  the  Spaniard,  who  was  con 
fined  in  the  run,  awoke  the  captain  and  officers  by 
his  groans.  He  was  taken  out  in  a  pitiable  condi 
tion.  Reduced  to  a  skeleton  by  confinement  and  an 
evil  conscience,  his  face  was  now  blanched  with  fear, 
and  his  eyes  sunken  and  restless.  When  asked  what 
had  occurred,  he  replied,  that,  in  turning  over  in  his 
sleep,  he  had  touched  something  cold,  which  he  took 
to  be  the  head  of  a  corpse,  clammy  with  blood.  His 
groans  brought  the  officers  to  his  relief. 

"  It  was  not  long  before  this  new  alarm  was  cir 
culated  throughout  the  ship.  Every  one  believed  she 
was  haunted  by  the  ghost  of  poor  Grimsley.  The 
crew,  driven  to  madness  by  the  horrible  sights  which 
had  been  witnessed,  assembled  in  a  body,  and  refused 
to  do  duty  until  a  thorough  search  should  be  made. 

"  All  the  next  day  we  were  engaged  in  breaking 
out  the  casks  and  ship's  stores  from  the  fore-peak  to 
the  run.  The  strictest  search  was  made.  In  the 
run  we  discovered  a  few  blood  stains,  and  the  marks 


94  SPANIARD'S  CONFESSION. 

of  a  bloody  hand  all  along  the  lower  tier  of  casks 
from  the  run  to  the  forecastle. 

"  You  may  be  sure  these  mysterious  marks  did  not 
quiet  our  fears.  Men  were  afraid  to  be  alone  for  a 
single  moment.  There  was  nothing  talked  of  but 
the  mysterious  visits  of  Grimsley,  and  the  blood 
stains,  with  narrations  of  deeds  committed  on  the 
lonely  deep  in  the  dead  of  night.  The  darkest 
tragedies  possessed  a  peculiar  interest  now.  The 
more  fearful  they  were  the  better  they  suited  the  ex 
cited  listeners,  who  in  groups  around  the  forecastle 
passed  away  the  long  night-watches  dwelling  upon 
deeds  of  blood.  By  keeping  together  in  this  way, 
and  occupying  our  minds  with  marvelous  tales  of 
the  tragic  and  the  supernatural,  we  contrived,  in 
some  measure,  to  quiet  each  other's  fears. 

"  While  things  were  in  this  state  the  Spaniard  was 
taken  ill  of  a  fever.  Apprehensive  that  he  was  about 
to  die,  he  made  a  confession  of  his  crimes.  His  nar 
rative  was  brief,  but  thrilling. 

"  He  had  commenced  his  career  of  villany  in  a 
Portuguese  slaver  at  Mozambique.  The  vessel  and 
her  living  cargo  were  taken  by  a  man-of-war  on  the 
coast  of  Brazil,  and  among  others  punished  for  their 
part  in  the  illegal  traffic,  he  was  sentenced  to  serve 
seven  years  in  one  of  the  government  frigates.  In 
a  few  months  after  he  made  his  escape,  and  joined 
a  Spanish  pirate.  For  three  years  he  served  in  her, 
among  the  West  India  Islands,  and  joined  in  the 
most  atrocious  deeds  of  bloodshed  and  rapine.  He 


MYSTERY    EXPLAINED.  95 

eventually  robbed  the  captain,  and  made  his  escape, 
in  an  American  whaler,  to  the  Spanish  Main.  Here 
he  gambled  away  his  ill-gotten  gains.  Reduced  to 
the  last  extremity,  he  worked  his  passage  to  the  Uni 
ted  States  in  a  merchantman.  Still  apprehensive  of 
arrest,  he  shipped  in  the  whaler  in  which  he  now 
narrated  his  crimes. 

"  Soon  after  she  left  port  he  was  sounded  by  the 
mate,  Mr.  Rockford,  who,  finding  him  willing  to  com 
mit  any  crime,  however  foul,  entered  into  a  compact 
with  him  to  murder  Grimsley,  promising  him  a  suit 
able  reward.  An  opportunity  occurred  on  the  night 
of  the  squall.  Grimsley  was  out  on  the  foot-rope 
with  him,  furling  the  jib.  The  Spaniard  stabbed  his 
victim  in  the  back,  and  the  subsequent  cry  of  '  a  man 
overboard'  was  the  result.  Had  the  body  of  the 
murdered  man  been  found,  the  perpetrator  of  the 
deed  could  have  been  discovered  at  once. 

"  Fearing,  from  the  change  in  the  conduct  of  the 
mate,  that  he  was  about  to  confess  the  crime,  and 
thus  expose  him,  the  Spaniard  determined  to  murder 
him  also.  In  pursuance  of  this  design,  he  one  night 
disguised  himself  in  a  Spanish  cloak  which  he  had 
in  his  chest,  and  while  he  thought  the  crew  all 
asleep,  walked  aft.  As  he  was  about  to  accomplish 
his  purpose,  he  became  alarmed  lest  the  man  at  the 
helm  should  recognize  him,  and  rushing  past  both 
the  officer  and  the  affrighted  man,  concealed  him 
self  in  the  stern-boat.  During  the  confusion  that 
followed  he  regained  the  forecastle  unobserved,  hid 


96  "  YARN"  FINISHED. 

his  cloak,  and  appeared  among  the  crew.  The 
subsequent  occurrences  in  the  run  were  occasioned 
by  a  plan  which  he  had  devised  to  frighten  the  cap 
tain  and  crew,  in  the  hope  of  making  them  abandon 
the  vessel,  or  put  into  port  at  some  neighboring  isl 
and.  He  had  effected  an  entrance  through  the  bulk 
heads  separating  the  forecastle  from  the  main  hold, 
and,  by  dint  of  hard  exertion,  worked  his  way  be 
tween  the  tiers  of  casks  to  the  run.  All  the  myste 
rious  appearances  that  followed  were  easily  account 
ed  for.  In  his  struggle  with  the  mate,  he  inflicted 
the  gash  which  had  occasioned  so  much  horror  and 

o 

surmise.  The  marks  of  blood  on  the  casks  were 
made  as  he  crept  back  to  the  forecastle. 

"  On  the  night  of  his  confession  the  Spaniard  died. 
He  was  buried  without  the  custornary  ceremonies. 

"  Our  cruise  was  soon  over.  The  gloom  which 
pervaded  the  ship  did  not  pass  away  until  we  were 
once  more  surrounded  by  the  pleasures  of  home. 

"  It  is  now  many  years  since  these  events  trans 
pired  ;  but  the  tragical  incidents  of  my  first  voyage 
are  still  vivid  in  my  memory.  I  have  spun  my  yarn. 
You  have  seen  that  the  mysterious  visitor  was  no 
ghost,  after  all,  and  if  you  do  not  choose  to  believe 
a  matter-of-fact  narrative  of  actual  events,  you  are 
welcome  to  your  doubts.  So  much  for  'Boe  GRIMS- 
LEY'S  GHOST.'  " 

During  the  recital  of  this  tragical  story  the  crew 
had  huddled  up  close  to  the  narrator,  and  it  was 


ARRIVAL    AT    PICO.  97 

amusing  to  witness  the  apprehensive  looks  with 
which  they  started  when  the  least  noise  was  made 
behind  them.  I  can  not  say  that  Ned  Harrison's 
yarn,  take  it  all  in  all,  had  a  very  cheering  effect 
upon  any  of  us.  The  fun  of  the  evening  was  over. 
A  damper  was  thrown  over  the  spirits  of  the  com 
pany,  and  the  men  talked  to  each  other  in  low  and 
earnest  voices,  as  if  fearful  that  Bob  Grimsley's  ghost 
would  suddenly  make  its  appearance. 

At  this  moment,  when  we  were  all  deeply  involv 
ed  in  the  blues,  our  boat  arrived  from  the  barque, 
and  the  captain's  order  to  "man  the  waist-boat"  put 
an  end  to  the  "  gam." 

A  few  days  after  our  departure  from  Terceira  we 
passed  St.  George's  and  Gratiosa,  and  entered  the 
channel  between  Pico  and  Fayal.  The  Island  of 
Pico,  on  a  nearer  view,  increases  in  picturesque 
beauty.  The  shores,  generally,  are  barren  and 
rocky.  Higher  up  are  farms  and  cottages,  and  the 
still  more  elevated  grounds  are  covered  with  vine 
yards,  forming  a  pleasing  contrast  to  the  wilder  por 
tions  of  the  scene.  Fayal,  the  chief  commercial  isl 
and  of  the  Azores,  lies  in  a  northwardly  direction 
from  Pico.  The  Villa  Orta,  or  principal  town,  is 
situated  in  a  beautiful  little  harbor,  formed  by  two 
points,  called  Ponta  Esplamanca,  and  Nostra  Signo.ra 
de  Guia,  on  that  side  of  the  island  opposite  Pico. 
It  derives  quite  a  respectable  appearance,  in  a  com 
mercial  point  of  view,  from  the  number  of  vessels 
lying  at  anchor  at  this  season  of  the  year.  A  British 

N 


98  PADDY'S  DIALOGUE. 

steam-frigate,  an  American  steamer,  a  Portuguese 
man-of-war,  several  whaling  vessels,  and  merchant 
men  were  in  port  when  our  barque  visited  this  island. 
The  wharf  presents  a  spectacle  rather  novel  to  one 
who  views  such  scenes  for  the  first  time.  Fish-boats, 
lighters,  and  bum-boats  may  be  seen  at  all  times  of 
the  day  buffeting  the  surf;  and  hundreds  of  bare 
legged  Portuguese  rushing  into  the  water  to  dis 
charge  freight,  or  load  them,  give  animation  and 
liveliness  to  the  scene. 

Our  list  of  sick  had  by  this  time  extended  to  four, 
three  of  whom  it  was  found  necessary  to  land. 
Among  these  was  an  Irishman,  who,  during  our 
cruise,  had  made  himself  conspicuous  for  his  stupid 
ity  and  laziness.  I  was  sorry,  however,  that  he  was 
about  to  leave  us,  for  his  bulls  afforded  us  all  great 
amusement.  I  recollect  a  dialogue  between  him  and 
the  captain,  which  would  have  delighted  poor  Power. 

"  Paddy,"  said  the  captain,  "  what  countryman  are 
you  ?  You  are  down  on  the  papers  as  an  American; 
but  you  must  be  an  Englishman,  I  guess." 

"  Be  gor,  sir !  I'm  no  Englishman ;  divil  a  bit. 
I'm  an  Amirican." 

"  Whereabouts  in  America  were  you  born  ?" 

"  Wasn't  I  born  at  saa,  sir  1  To  be  sure  I  was ; 
and  bad  'scess  to  the  dhrop  of  English  blood  have  I 


in  me." 


"  Oh,  then,  you've  been  to  sea  before  ?     Did  you 
ever  cross  the  line  V9 

"  Cross    the    line !      An'    it's    myself  that    did. 


CROSSING    THE    LINE.  99 

Haven't  I  been  two  voyages  to  the  Wist  Indies  from 
Philadelphia  T 

"  What  line  did  you  cross  going  from  Philadel 
phia?" 

"  The  equathur,  be  gor  !" 

"  None  of  your  lies,  Paddy  !  You've  never  been 
across  the  equator." 

"  Be  the  hoky-poker,  I  have,  sir!  Divil  a  lie  am 
I  tellin'  ye !" 

"  Why,  how  could  you  cross  the  equator  in  a  pass 
age  from  the  northward  to  the  West  India  Islands  ?" 

"  Arrah !  how  should  I  know,  sir  ?  barrin'  the  cap 
tain  made  a  little  bit  of  a  misthake  !" 

Paddy  often  reminded  me  of  the  man  who  had 
seen  a  horse  eighteen  feet  high;  for  whatever  he 
said,  no  matter  how  marvelous,  he  would  boldly  ad 
here  to. 

During  our  stay  at  the  Island  of  Terceira,  Smith, 
who  had  been  off  duty  nearly  the  whole  of  our  cruise 
up  to  that  date,  asked  permission  to  go  ashore.  It 
was  well  understood  by  the  captain  and  officers  that 
he  intended  to  desert,  for  he  made  no  secret  of  it; 
and  even  went  so  far  as  to  tie  up  a  bundle  of  clothes 
in  his  handkerchief,  and  carry  it  aft  under  his  arm. 
Thinking  this  a  good  opportunity  to  get  rid  of  him, 
without  the  expense  of  putting  him  asliore  at  the 
Villa  Orta,  which  would  not  be  less  than  forty  dol 
lars,  the  captain  willingly  gave  him  permission,  tell 
ing  him,  as  a  matter  of  form,  to  be  down  at  the  boat- 
landing  by  sundown.  Smith  bid  us  all  good-by,  and 


100  CONSULAR    ATTENTION. 

was  taken  ashore  in  the  waist-boat.  The  last  I  saw 
of  him  at  that  time,  he  was  slowly  dragging  his  ema 
ciated  limbs  up  the  rocks. 

On  our  arrival  at  the  Villa  Orta  a  week  after,  I 
was  surprised  to  find  Smith  down  at  the  landing, 
shaking  hands  with  his  old  shipmates.  It  appeared 
that  the  vice-consul  at  Angra,  to  whom  he  had  ap 
pealed,  finding  him  in  a  destitute  condition,  had  sent 
him  over  to  Fayal  in  a  fishing-smack,  where  he  ar 
rived  a  few  days  in  advance  of  the  Styx.  There  he 
made  his  complaint  to  the  consul,  who,  of  course,  as 
is  customary  with  consuls  who  have  dealings  with 
the  masters  of  vessels,  would  have  nothing  to  do 
with  him.  Some  of  the  Portuguese  took  pity  on 
him,  and  gave  him  lodgings.  He  was  in  a  wretched 
condition  when  I  saw  him.  The  mate,  by  order  of 
the  captain,  told  me  to  advise  him  to  make  himself 
scarce  without  delay,  or  he  would  be  taken  on  board 
again,  and  punished  as  a  deserter.  I  did  so,  believ 
ing  his  sufferings,  under  any  circumstances,  could 
not  be  worse  on  the  island  than  they  would  be  if  he 
should  again  be  taken  on  board  the  barque.  I  never 
saw  him  again. 

My  comrade,  W ,  of  whose  sufferings  during 

our  cruise  I  have  spoken  at  some  length,  being  en 
tirely  too  unwell  to  resume  duty,  was  one  of  the 
number  about  to  be  left  ashore.  We  had  commenced 
the  voyage  with  visionary  dreams  of  romance  and  ad 
venture.  For  many  weeks  past  we  had  conversed 
together  over  the  unfortunate  step  we  had  taken,  and 


CARRIED    ASHORE.  101 

anxiously  looked  forward  for  a  change ;  many  weary 
nights  had  I  watched  by  the  side  of  my  suffering 
friend ;  and,  however  poorly  I  had  discharged  my 
duty,  I  had  the  pleasure  of  knowing  that  every  little 
attention  was  most  gratefully  felt.  I  was  now  about 
to  part  with  my  only  friend  in  a  foreign  land,  and 
among  strangers,  where  a  friend  can  best  be  appre 
ciated.  I  need  not  say  that  the  parting  was  a  pain 
ful  one.  We  gazed  at  each  other  with  full  eyes  and 
throbbing  hearts  as  he  was  about  to  be  borne  to  the 

boat,  but  could  not  utter  a  word.     Poor  W had 

not  spoken  the  whole  morning.  There  was  a  deep, 
touching  melancholy  in  his  looks,  far  more  eloquent 
than  words.  All  his  bright  hopes  of  recovery  seemed 
to  vanish  at  the  thought  of  our  separation.  That  I 
might  conceal  every  appearance  of  a  weakness 
which  is  looked  upon  by  sailors  as  unmanly,  I  busied 
myself  about  the  decks,  knowing,  too,  that  it  was  use 
less  to  repine. 

At  ten  o'clock  the  order  was  given  to  "  Man  the 
waist-boat!"  I  was  glad  enough  that  the  boat  to 
which  I  belonged  was  chosen,  as  it  afforded  me  an 
opportunity  of  going  ashore.  The  barque  lay  off  and 
on,  outside  the  harbor.  We  had  a  hard  pull  against 
a  head  wind  before  we  reached  the  pier,  which  is 
close  by  the  Portuguese  fort.  Here  we  were  hailed 
by  one  of  the  government  officers,  who  inquired  the 
number  of  sick  on  board,  and  the  nature  of  their 
complaints,  stating  that  they  would  not  be  allowed 
ashore  if  afflicted  with  any  contagious  disease.  Af- 


102  CONSULAR    FEES. 

ter  waiting  about  an  hour  to  see  the  American  con 
sul,  Mr.  Dabney,  we  returned  to  the  barque,  and  put 
the  invalids  in  the  boat. 

On  approaching  within  a  few  hundred  yards  of 
the  pier,  we  were  hailed  by  a  government  boat  bear 
ing  the  national  flag.  It  contained  two  or  three  of 
ficers,  and  the  health  doctor,  a  pompous  and  self- 
sufficient  quack,  who  went  through  a  burlesque  ex 
amination  of  the  sick  men,  and  then  gave  a  permit, 
allowing  them  to  be  carried  ashore.  Here  they  were 
given  up  to  the  consul,  who  provided  them  with  suit 
able  accommodations.  The  charges  at  Fayal  for 
landing,  &c.,  if  I  was  correctly  informed,  are  as  fol 
lows  :  Fee  to  the  health  doctor,  four  dollars ;  boat 
charges,  ten  dollars;  for  each  sick  man,  thirty-six 
dollars,  to  be  paid  to  the  consul. 

I  must  here  mention  that  it  was  with  the  utmost 

difficulty  W had  prevailed  upon  the  captain  to 

let  him  go  at  all.  Being  part  owner  in  the  barque, 
he  was  unwilling  to  lose  any  thing  in  the  way  of  fees 
or  government  charges;  and  ever,  till  we  arrived  in 

sight  of  the  Azores,  had  steadily  answered  all  W 's 

petitions  by  the  remark,  "  He  might  rot  in  the  fore 
castle  !"  I  did  not  know  at  this  period  that  the  cap 
tain  had  his  eye  upon  a  fine  gold  watch,  which 

W had  treasured  for  years  past  as  a  sacred 

token  of  affection  from  a  dear  relative.  This  watch 
had  been  committed  to  the  captain's  keeping  soon 
after  we  left  New  Bedford.  Fearing  he  could  not 
get  off  on  any  other  conditions,  W offered  it  to 


COSTUMES  OF  FAYAL. THE  PARTING.    103 

him  to  let  him  go  ashore.  In  order  to  keep  up  some 
show  of  honesty,  the  captain  replied  "  that  he  would 

keep  the  watch,  but  W could  have  it,  after  the 

voyage,  by  writing  for  it,  and  enclosing  payment  for 
his  outfit  and  passage  home !" 

Owing  to  the  illness  of  my  friend,  I  could  devote 
but  little  time  to  examining  the  town  of  Orta.  Still, 
I  had  an  opportunity  of  seeing  many  things  that  in 
terested  me.  The  costume  of  the  females  struck  me 
as  being  very  uncouth.  The  lower  classes  wear  hats 
made  of  straw ;  and  I  saw  several  with  coarse  over 
coats  and  round  jackets.  The  elite,  or  fashionable 
ladies,  conceal  their  faces  in  bonnets  of  such  ample 
dimensions  as  to  cover  both  head  and  shoulders. 

I  spent  the  chief  part  of  the  day  in  attending  upon 
the  sick.  The  captain  procured  them  a  passage  to 
the  United  States  in  a  small  American  brig  bound 
for  Bangor,  Maine.  While  at  Fayal,  the  captain 
shipped  three  Portuguese  and  two  American  seamen 
in  place  of  the  sick. 

Late  in  the  evening  I  bade  a  final  good-by  to  my 
friend  W ,  and  returned  to  the  barque  much  de 
pressed  in  spirits.  Before  daylight  rtext  morning  the 
light-house  had  faded  from  our  sight,  and,  when  the 
sun  rose,  it  was  with  difficulty  that  we  could  discern 
on  the  horizon  the  Peak  of  Pico.  I  can  not  describe 
the  feeling  of  utter  loneliness  that  stole  over  me  when 
once  more  on  the  bosom  of  the  boundless  ocean. 
Surrounded  by  a  crew  of  brutal  and  illiterate  Portu 
guese,  I  felt  that  I  was  indeed  alone.  When  I 


104  CAPTAIN    IN    HUMOR. 

thought  of  the  many  happy  hours  I  had  spent  in 

W 's  society;  when  I  looked  around  me,  and 

saw  objects  that  reminded  me  of  him,  I  felt  that 

"  Othello's  occupation  was  gone  !" 

The  prospect  before  me  was  any  thing  but  cheer 
ing.  I  dreaded  to  think  of  the  long  voyage;  a 
voyage  which  we  had  scarcely  yet  commenced. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

Quarreling  Aft. — A  Row  between  the  Captain  and  Mate. — Return 
to  Fayal. — Annoyances. — Murderous  Designs  of  the  Cook. — Un 
der  Weigh  for  the  Indian  Ocean. — Monotony  of  the  Passage. — 
Pastimes. — Canary  Islands. — Horse  Latitudes. — Grand  Whale 
Chase. — Six  Whales  alongside. — Beautiful  Effect  of  the  Moon. 

A  MAN  like  our  captain,  whose  whole  soul  was 
wrapped  up  in  dollars  and  cents,  could  not  bear  with 
much  patience  a  continued  run  of  bad  luck.  We 
had  killed  but  one  whale ;  that  disappointment  alone 
was  sufficient  to  render  him  cross-grained  and  ill- 
natured.  The'expense  of  landing  the  sick  men  was 
considerable ;  and  so  grievously  did  it  prey  upon  his 
mind,  that  for  weeks  after  I  seldom  knew  him  to 
smile.  Before  we  had  reached  the  Azores,  he  had 
quarreled  several  times  with  the  mate.  These  quar 
rels  now  became  more  frequent  and  violent  than  ever. 
There  was  a  sailor-like  boldness  about  the  brutality 
of  the  mate  which  the  captain  did  not  like.  With 


HEN    OVERBOARD.  105 

the  one,  meanness  was  the  prevailing  trait ;  with  the 
other,  a  devil-may-care  roughness,  in  which  he  was 
open  and  above  board. 

One  calm  day  a  hen  flew  overboard.  Enos,  a 
Portuguese,  wras  on  the  main-topsail  yard  splicing  an 
earing.  Being  a  very  expert  swimmer,  and  glad  of 
the  excuse  to  take  a  dive,  he  jumped  over  after  the 
unlucky  hen.  We  were  fanning  along  about  a  knot 
and  a  half  an  hour.  The  captain,  hearing  our  shouts 
of  laughter  as  we  hauled  Enos  in  with  a  rope,  came 
rushing  up  the  companion  way,  roaring  at  the  mate 
to  "  lower  away  a  boat !"  We  all  knew  he  would 
as  soon  lose  his  best  man  as  a  hen,  and  we  joked 
Enos  (loud  enough  to  be  heard  aft)  about  being 
guilty  of  such  a  fowl  piece  of  folly  as  to  jump  over 
board  after  a  hen.  There  was  nothing  that  the  cap 
tain  could  take  hold  of  in  this ;  but  it  irritated  him. 
It  happened  that  the  mate  was  at  work  in  the  waist. 
Now,  when  captain  and  mate  are  not  on  the  best 
terms,  the  latter  generally  has  to  bear  the  blame  of 
every  thing  that  goes  wrong,  and,  of  course,  is  the 
legitimate  object  of  all  the  surplus  ill  humor  of  his 
sovereign  master. 

"  Mr.  D ,  why  didn't  you  lower  a  boat  after 

that  hen  1  I  should  think  you'd  have  had  sense 
enough  to  do  that  without  waiting  for  me  to  tell  you." 

"  I  received  no  orders  to  lower  a  boat,  sir.  The 
man  jumped  overboard  without  asking  me,  and  if 
he's  fool  enough  to  risk  his  life  for  a  hen,  /  can't 
help  it.  You'd  better  talk  to  him  about  it." 

O 


106  QUARREL    ABOUT    A    HEN. 

"  No,  I'll  talk  to  you !"  cried  the  captain,  very  much 
enraged.  "  It  was  your  duty  to  lower  away  a  boat. 
Any  man  with  an  ounce  of  sense  might  know  enough 
for  that." 

This  of  course  raised  the  mate's  "  pluck,"  and, 
turning  from  his  work,  he  boldly  faced  the  cap 
tain. 

"  Do  you  suppose  I'd  take  the  responsibility  to 
lower  a  boat  for  a  cursed  old  hen  1  No,  I'll  be  hanged 
if  I  would.  You'd  be  the  first  to  flare  up  at  it  your 
self.  Now,  sir,  since  you've  begun  dijaw,  I'll  just  tell 

you  how  we  stand,  Captain  A .  There  has  been 

too  much  of  this  fault-finding  lately.  I've  done  my 
best  to  suit  you ;  but,  it  appears  to  me,  the  more  a 
man  does  to  please  you,  the  more  you  grumble.  I've 
stood  this  long  enough ;  so  I  think  it's  about  time 
for  us  to  come  to  an  understanding  about  it.  The 
amount  of  it  is,  Til  be  d — d  if  Til  suffer  it  any 
longer !" 

This  was  pretty  determined  language.  It  was 
such  as  the  captain  had  not  been  used  to ;  for,  ac 
cording  to  his  own  account,  his  former  mates  would 
lick  the  planks  he  walked  on ;  and  he  had  never  had 
one  to  give  him  a  back  answer.  He  now  began  to 
draw  in  his  horns. 

"  When  did  I  find  fault,  Mr.  D 1  Tell  me  a 

single  instance." 

"You're  always  finding  fault;  that's  enough.  If 
we  can't  get  along  easier,  the  sooner  we  part  the 
better.  I  know  my  place,  sir,  and  I  intend  to  do  my 


NEW  HANDS.  107 

duty;   but  I'll  show  you  that  I'm  not  to  be  brow 
beat  and  insulted !" 

Some  more  words  of  a  like  nature  passed  between 
them,  which  I  did  not  hear.  There  was  no  damage 
done,  however.  Both  captain  and  mate  remained 
on  the  worst  possible  terms  from  that  time  forth. 
They  seldom  spoke,  except  on  business  matters,  or 
upon  subjects  connected  with  the  voyage. 

After  a  short  cruise  on  the  eastern  ground  we  re 
turned  to  Fayal  to  land  another  sick  man.  It  was 
found  necessary,  when  we  formerly  touched  at  the 
port  of  Orta,  to  ship  five  new  hands,  two  of  whom 
were  Americans,  two  Portuguese,  and  an  English 
man.  We  found  them  a  very  quarrelsome  and  dis 
orderly  set ;  but  the  captain  had  a  partiality  for  out 
cast  foreigners.  We  only  remained  in  port  a  few 
hours,  and  I  was  not  permitted  to  go  ashore.  I  had 
the  pleasure,  however,  of  hearing  that  my  friend 
W was  rapidly  improving  in  health.  An  addi 
tion  to  the  number  in  the  forecastle  was  made  this 
time  in  the  place  of  the  man  who  was  left  ashore, 
which  made  the  crew  consist  of  eight  Portuguese, 
an  Englishman,  and  four  Americans. 

In  the  early  part  of  our  voyage  we  had  for  cook  a 
mulatto  man,  who  had  served  as  a  ward-room  stew 
ard  on  board  the  Peacock  during  the  United  States 
Exploring  Expedition.  Whether  he  had  acquired 
the  habit  of  grumbling  from  his  man-of-war  com 
rades,  or  whether  it  was  natural  to  him,  I  can  not 
say;  but  a  greater  grumbler,  or  a  more  disagreeable 


108  CULINARY    AFFABILITY. 

animal,  I  never  had  the  misfortune  to  meet.  In  ad 
dition  to  this,  he  had  a  most  villanous  and  tyranni 
cal  temper,  which  continually  developed  itself  in  acts 
of  injustice  toward  the  crew.  I  had  been  too  long 
living  in  slave  states  to  bear  very  quietly  the  inso 
lence  of  a  negro,  and  on  several  occasions  we  came 
to  pretty  close  quarters.  I  candidly  confess,  nothing 
but  fear  of  the  consequences  prevented  me  from 
heaving  the  wretch  overboard  the  first  good  chance. 
It  was  a  source  of  continual  annoyance  to  be  thrown 
in  this  man's  way,  and  particularly  galling  to  my 
feelings  to  be  compelled  to  live  in  the  forecastle  with 
a  brutal  negro,  who,  conscious  that  he  was  upon  an 
equality  with  the  sailors,  presumed  upon  his  equality 
to  a  degree  that  was  insufferable.  Finding  I  wrould 
not  succumb  to  his  insolence,  as  the  other  hands  did, 
he  took  a  most  inveterate  hatred  to  me,  and  did 
all  in  his  power  to  render  my  situation  unpleasant, 
by  instilling  into  the  minds  of  my  comrades  that  I 
was  a  "broken-down  dandy,"  who  would  lord  it 
over  them,  if  they  would  suffer  me.  As  I  had  al 
ways  made  it  a  point  never  to  evince  the  least  symp 
tom  of  superiority,  or  pretend  to  any  thing  more  than 
those  around  me,  he  failed  to  effect  his  object  in  this 
particular ;  for  I  had  the  good  fortune  to  be  a  general 
favorite.  He  next  had  recourse  to  another  and  a 
far  more  effective  expedient.  Our  fare  at  the  best 
of  times  was  bad  enough,  and  always  scanty.  When 
I  had  watch  at  the  mast-head,  or  when  it  was  my 
trick  at  the  helm,  he  always  managed  to  jilt  me  out 


A    GOOD    APPETITE.  109 

of  my  allowance,  or  give  me  the  offal  of  the  crew.  I 
had  heard  too  many  complaints  made  to  the  cap 
tain  to  hope  for  any  thing  from  him  in  the  way  of 
redress.  Many  a  night,  after  a  hard  day's  work, 
have  I  turned  in  hungry  enough  to  eat  with  rel 
ish,  had  it  been  within  my  reach,  the  common  dog- 
meat,  upon  which  the  pampered  canine  gentry  of  the 
cities  luxuriate.  The  life  I  had  led  since  I  had  ship 
ped  produced  such  a  change  in  me  as  made  me  a 
mere  animal.  When  I  got  any  thing  fit  to  eat,  which 
was  very  rarely,  I  devoured  it  with  the  avidity  of  a 
starving  wolf.  I  seldom  dreamed  of  any  thing  at 
night  but  good  Kentucky  roast  beef,  peaches  and 
cream,  pumpkin  pies,  and  all  the  luxuries  of  western 
life. 

Trifling  as  such  things  as  these  may  appear  to 
those  who  live  ashore,  where  the  poorest  can  by  in 
dustry  obtain  abundance  of  the  good  things  of  life, 
they  are  not  so  trifling  on  board  a  whaler.  I  had 
seen  the  time  when  my  fastidious  taste  revolted  at  a 
piece  of  good  wholesome  bread  without  butter,  and 
many  a  time  had  I  lost  a  meal  by  discovering  a  fly 
on  my  plate.  I  was  now  glad  .enough  to  get  a  hard 
biscuit  and  a  piece  of  greasy  pork;  and  it  did  not 
at  all  affect  my  appetite  to  see  the  mangled  bodies 
of  divers  well-fed  cockroaches  in  my  molasses ;  in 
deed,  I  sometimes  thought  they  gave  it  a  rich  flavor. 

On  leaving  Fayal  the  second  time,  this  villanous 
cook,  who  had  made  such  murderous  attempts  to 
starve  me,  was  promoted  steward,  and  a  Portuguese 


110  LITERARY    AMUSEMENTS. 

mulatto,  belonging  to  the  Cape  de  Verdes,  was  made 
cook.  I  need  scarcely  say  that  I  heartily  rejoiced 
in  the  change ;  for  I  knew,  let  what  would  come,  it 
could  not  be  for  the  worse. 

We  were  now  fairly  under  weigh  for  the  Indian 
Ocean,  each  day  making  to  the  southward  as  fast  as 
a  clumsy  barque,  which  never  sailed  more  than  six 
knots  an  hour,  except  in  a  gale,  could  carry  us.  The 
monotony  of  a  long  passage  is  known  to  every  body 
who  has  ever  read  of  the  sea.  Seldom  is  it  relieved, 
except  by  a  squall,  a  calm,  a  sail  in  sight,  or  some 
trifling  adventure.  Time  hung  very  heavily  on  our 
hands,  though  we  contrived  various  means  to  pass  it 
away  as  pleasantly  as  possible.  The  chief  resources 
I  had  for  driving  dull  care  away  were  reading,  draw 
ing,  writing  in  my  journal,  eating  whenever  I  could 
get  any  thing  to  eat,  and  sleeping  whenever  the  Por 
tuguese  would  give  me  a  chance.  As  to  reading,  I 
was  necessarily  compelled  to  read  whatever  I  could 
get.  Unfortunately,  I  had  brought  neither  books  nor 
papers  with  me,  so  that  I  had  to  depend  entirely 
upon  the  officers,  none  of  whom  were  troubled  with 

a  literary  taste.     Mr.  D ,  the  first  mate,  who  was 

very  friendly  toward  me,  had  a  bundle  of  old  Phila 
delphia  weeklies,  which  I  read  over  a  dozen  times, 
advertisements  and  all.  The  cooper,  a  young  man 
from  New  Bedford,  was  by  far  the  most  intelligent 
man  aft.  His  stock  of  literature  consisted  of  a  tem 
perance  book,  a  few  Mormon  tracts,  and  Lady 
Dacre's  Diary  of  a  Chaperon.  I  read  these  till  I  al- 


CAPTAIN'S  PIETY.  Ill 

most  had  them  by  heart.  The  captain  himself  was 
an  illiterate  man,  "  wise  in  his  own  conceit."  He 
had  the  reputation  at  home  of  being  a  pious  man ; 
and,  as  some  evidence  of  this,  I  procured  from  one 
of  the  officers  a  work  belonging  to  him  of  a  religious 
character.  I  can  not  say,  however,  that  his  conduct 
was  in  strict  conformity  with  the  reputation  he  had 
gained  as  a  man  of  piety.  One  of  my  shipmates  had 
a  Bible ;  another,  the  first  volume  of  Cooper's  Pilot; 
a  third,  the  Songster's  own  Book;  a  fourth,  the 
Complete  Letter  Writer ;  and  a  fifth  claimed,  as  his 
total  literary  stock,  a  copy  of  the  Flash  newspaper, 
published  in  New  York,  in  which  he  cut  a  conspicu 
ous  figure  as  the  "  Lady's  Fancy  Man."  I  read  and 
re-read  all  these.  Every  week  I  was  obliged  to  com 
mence  on  the  stale  reading,  placing  the  latest  read 
away  till  I  systematically  arrived  at  them  again,  when 
they  were  pretty  fresh,  considering  the  number  of 
times  they  had  been  overhauled.  When  I  became 
thoroughly  satiated  with  the  fresh  and  stale,  I  had 
recourse  to  drawing,  at  which  I  considered  myself 
somewhat  of  an  amateur.  My  stock  of  implements 
consisted  of  a  short  stump  brush,  a  few  ounces  of 
black-lead,  a  piece  of  Indian  ink,  and  a  pen.  Some 
of  my  shipmates,  who  had  never  seen  any  drawings 
in  the  mezzotinto  style,  took  a  great  fancy  to  my 
little  productions,  and  insisted  upon  having  speci 
mens  for  their  sweethearts.  By  humoring  them  to 
the  best  of  my  ability,  I  so  far  gained  their  good 
will  that  they  reciprocated  my  attempts  by  doing  all 


112  LOVE-SICK    MAKES   THEM    SEA-SICK! 

my  patching  and  mending,  which  was  a  very  accept 
able  return,  for  I  was  not  an  expert  hand  at  the 
needle.  In  the  evening,  after  the  decks  were  swept, 
I  generally  sat  for  an  hour  or  two  on  the  jib-boom 
playing  the  flute,  or  humming  over  favorite  airs, 
many  of  which  conjured  up  associations  which  were 
"  pleasant,  yet  mournful  to  the  soul."  After  one  of 
the  watches  went  below,  we  usually  had  a  little 
gathering  on  the  forecastle,  and  each  of  us  told  some 
thing  of  his  past  life.  In  this  way  I  learned  the  his 
tory  of  all  in  the  watch  to  which  I  belonged.  Rum 
and  love  had  done  signal  service  in  the  way  of  driv 
ing  them  to  sea. 

October  8th. — At  10  P.M.  we  made  Ferro,  one 
of  the  Canary  Isles,  distant  thirty  miles  off  the  lee 
bow.  In  the  evening  three  of  the  Canaries  were 
visible :  Palma,  Gomerra,  and  Ferro.  Our  course 
was  south-southeast,  and  lay  twenty  miles  from  the 
nearest,  at  which  distance  it  had  a  blue,  indistinct, 
and  rugged  outline. 

While  in  the  vicinity  of  these  islands  we  were 
visited  by  great  numbers  of  birds,  resembling  in  ap 
pearance  the  American  swallow.  Several  Canary 
birds  also  flew  on  board,  some  of  which  we  succeed 
ed  in  catching. 

October  12th. — Entered  the  horse  latitudes.  This 
part  of  the  Atlantic,  I  was  told,  derived  its  name  from 
the  fact,  that  vessels  on  their  passage  from  Arabia, 
with  Arabian  horses  on  board,  had  frequently  been 
reduced  to  the  necessity  of  throwing  them  overboard, 


SIGHT    OF    WHALES.  115 

owing  to  the  scarcity  of  water,  produced  by  long  and 
continued  calms. 

October  13th. — "  There  she  blows  !"  was  sung  out 
from  the  mast-head. 

"  Where  away  I"  demanded  the  captain. 

"  Three  points  off  the  lee  bow,  sir." 

"Raise  up  your  wheel,     Steady  !" 

"  Steady,  sir." 

"  Mast-head  ahoy  !    Do  you  see  that  whale  now  V 

"  Ay,  ay,  sir  !  A  school  of  sperm  whales  !  There 
she  blows  !  There  she  breaches  !" 

"  Sing  out !     Sing  out  every  time  !" 

"  Ay,  ay,  sir  !  There  she  blows  !  There — there 
— thar  she  blows — bowes — bo-o-o-s  !" 

"How  far  off!" 

"Two  miles  and  a  half!" 

"  Thunder  and  lightning  !  so  near  !  Call  all  hands ! 
Clew  up  the  fore-t'gallant-sail — there  !  belay  !  Hard 
down  your  wheel !  Haul  aback  the  main  yard  ! 
Get  your  tubs  in  your  boats.  Bear  a  hand  !  Clear 
your  falls  !  Stand  by  all  to  lower !  All  ready  ?" 

"All  ready,  sir!" 

"  Lower  away !" 

Down  went  the  boats  with  a  splash.  Each  boat's 
crew  sprang  over  the  rail,  and  in  an  instant  the 
larboard,  starboard,  and  waist  boats  were  manned. 
There  was  great  rivalry  in  getting  the  start.  The 
waist-boat  got  off  in  pretty  good  time ;  and  away 
went  all  three,  dashing  the  water  high  over  their 
bows.  Nothing  could  be  more  exciting  than  the 


116 


THE    CHASE. 


chase.  The  larboard  boat,  commanded  by  the  mate, 
and  the  waist-boat,  by  the  second  mate,  were  head 
and  head. 

"  Give  way,  my  lads,  give  way !"  shouted  P , 

our  headsman ;  "  we  gain  on  them ;  give  way  !  A 
long,  steady  stroke !  That's  the  way  to  tell  it !" 

"  Ay,  ay  !"  cried  Tabor,  our  boat-steerer.  "  What 
d'ye  say,  boys  ?  Shall  we  lick  'em  ?" 

"  Pull !  pull  like  vengeance  !"  echoed  the  crewr ; 
and  we  danced  over  the  waves,  scarcely  seeming  to 
touch  them. 


The  chase  was  now  truly  soul-stirring.  Some 
times  the  larboard,  then  the  starboard,  then  the  waist- 
boat  took  the  lead.  It  was  a  severe  trial  of  skill 
and  muscle.  After  we  had  run  two  miles  at  this 


WHALES    AT    HAND  !  117 

rate,  the  whales  turned  flukes,  going  dead  to  wind 
ward. 

"  Now  for  it,  my  lads !"  cried  P .     "  We'll 

have  them  the  next  rising.  Now  pile  it  on  !  a  long, 
steady  pull !  That's  it !  that's  the  way  !  Those 
whales  belong  to  us.  Don't  give  out !  Half  an 
hour  more,  and  they're  our  whales !" 

The  other  boats  had  veered  off  at  either  side  of 
us,  and  continued  the  chase  with  renewed  ardor.  In 
about  half  an  hour  we  lay  on  our  oars  to  look  round 
for  the  whales. 

"  There  she  blows  !  right  ahead  !"  shouted  Tabor, 
fairly  dancing  with  delight. 

"  There  she  blows  !     There  she  blows  !" 

"  Oh,  Lord,  boys,  spring !"  cried  P . 

"  Spring  it  is  !  What  d'ye  say,  now,  chummies  1 
Shall  we  take  those  whales  T 

To  this  general  appeal  every  man  replied  by  put 
ting  his  weight  on  his  oar,  and  exerting  his  utmost 
strength.  The  boat  flew  through  the  water  with  in 
credible  swiftness,  scarcely  rising  to  the  waves.  A 
large  bull  whale  lay  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  ahead 
of  us,  lazily  rolling  in  the  trough  of  the  sea.  The 
larboard  and  starboard  boats  were  far  to  leeward  of 
us,  tugging  hard  to  get  a  chance  at  the  other  whales, 
which  were  now  blowing  in  every  direction. 

"  Give  way  !  give  way,  my  hearties  !"  cried  P , 

putting  his  weight  against  the  aft  oar.  "  Do  you 
love  gin  ?  A  bottle  of  gin  to  the  best  man  !  Oh, 
pile  it  on  while  you  have  breath  !  pile  it  on  !" 


118  GETTING    SQUALLY. 

"  On  with  the  beef,  chummies  !  Smash  every  oar! 
double  'em  tip,  or  break  'em  !" 

"  Every  devil's  imp  of  you,  pall !  No  talking ;  lay 
back  to  it ;  now  or  never !" 

On  dashed  the  boat,  cleaving  its  way  through  the 
rough  sea  as  if  the  briny  element  were  blue  smoke. 
The  whale,  however,  turned  flukes  before  we  could 
reach  him.  When  he  appeared  again  above  the  sur 
face  of  the  water,  it  was  evident  that  he  had  milled 
while  down,  by  which  manceuver  he  gained  on  us 
nearly  a  mile.  The  chase  was  now  almost  hopeless, 
as  he  was  making  to  windward  rapidly.  A  heavy, 
black  cloud  was  on  the  horizon,  portending  an  ap 
proaching  squall,  and  the  barque  was  fast  fading  from 
sight.  Still  we  were  not  to  be  baffled  by  discourag 
ing  circumstances  of  this  kind,  and  we  braced  our 
sinews  for  a  grand  and  final  effort. 

"  Never  give  up,  my  lads !"  said  the  headsman,  in 
a  cheering  voice.  "  Mark  my  words,  we'll  have  that 
whale  yet.  Only  think  he's  ours,  and  there's  no 
mistake  about  it,  he  will  be  ours.  Now  for  a  hard, 
steady  pull !  Give  way  !" 

"  Give  way,  sir  !     Give  way,  all !" 

"  There  she  blows  !  Oh,  pull,  my  lively  lads  ! 
Only  a  mile  off!  There  she  blows  !" 

The  wind  had  by  this  time  increased  almost  to  a 
gale,  and  the  heavy  black  clouds  were  scattering 
over  us  far  and  wide.  Part  of  the  squall  had  passed 
off  to  leeward,  and  entirely  concealed  the  barque. 
Our  situation  was  rather  unpleasant :  in  a  rough  sea, 


TAKING    A    WHALE.  121 

the  other  boats  out  of  sight,  and  each  moment  the 
wind  increasing. 

We  continued  to  strain  every  muscle  till  we  were 
hard  upon  the  whale.  Tabor  sprang  to  the  bow, 
and  stood  by  with  the  harpoon. 

"  Softly,  softly,  my  lads,"  said  the  headsman. 

"  Ay,  ay,  sir  !" 

"  Hush-h-h  !  softly.    Now's  your  time,  Tabor!" 

Tabor  let  fly  the  harpoon,  and  buried  the  iron. 

"  Give  him  another  !" 

"  Ay,  ay  !     Stern  all !" 

"  Stern  all  !"  thundered  P . 

"  Stern  all !" 

And,  as  we  rapidly  backed  from  the  whale,  he 
flung  his  tremendous  flukes  high  in  the  air,  covering 
us  with  a  cloud  of  spray.  He  then  sounded,  making 
the  line  whiz  as  it  passed  through  the  chocks.  When 
he  rose  to  the  surface  again,  we  hauled  up,  and  the 
second  mate  stood  ready  in  the  bow  to  dispatch  him 
with  lances. 

"Spouting  blood!"  said  Tabor.  "  Hes  a  dead 
whale !  He  won't  need  much  lancing."  It  was  true 
enough  ;  for,  before  the  officer  could  get  within  dart 
of  him,  he  commenced  his  dying  struggles.  The  sea 
was  crimsoned  with  his  blood.  By  the  time  we  had 
reached  him,  he  was  belly  up.  We  lay  upon  our 
oars  a  moment  to  witness  his  last  throes,  and,  when 
he  had  turned  his  head  toward  the  sun,  a  loud,  simul 
taneous  cheer  burst  from  every  lip. 

a 


122 


PREPARATION    FOR    A    SQUALL. 


A  low,  rumbling  sound,  like  the  roar  of  a  distant 
waterfall,  now  reached  our  ears.  Each  moment  it 
grew  louder.  The  whole  expansive  arch  of  the 
heavens  became  dark  with  clouds  tossing,  flying, 
swelling,  and  whirling  over  and  over,  like  the  surges 
of  an  angry  sea.  A  white  cloud,  gleaming  against 
the  black  mass  behind  it,  came  sweeping  toward  us, 
stretching  forth  its  long,  white  arms,  as  if  to  grasp  us 
in  its  fatal  embrace.  Louder  and  still  louder  it 
growled ;  yet  the  air  was  still  and  heavy  around  us. 
Now  the  white  cloud  spread,  whirled  over,  and  lost 
its  hoary  head;  now  it  wore  the  mane  and  fore 
feet  of  a  lion ;  now  the  heads  of  a  dragon,  with  their 
tremendous  jaws  extended.  Writhing,  hissing,  roar 
ing,  it  swept  toward  us.  The  demon  of  wrath  could 
not  have  assumed  a  more  frightful  form.  The  whole 


THE    SQUALL.  123 

face  of  the  ocean  was  hidden  in  utter  darkness,  save 
within  a  circle  of  a  few  hundred  yards.     Our  little 
boat  floated  on  a  sea   almost  unruffled  by  a  breath 
of  wind.     The  heavy  swell  rolled  lazily  past  us ;  yet 
a  death-like  calmness  reigned  in  the  air.     Beyond 
the  circle   all  was  strife ;   within,  all  peace.      We 
gazed  anxiously  in  each  other's  faces;  but  not  a 
word  was  spoken.     Even  the  veteran  harpooneer 
looked  upon  the  clouds  with  a  face  of  unusual  so 
lemnity,  as  we  lay  upon  our  oars,  awed  to  silence  by 
the  sublimity  of  the  scene.     The  ominous  stillness 
of  every  thing  within  the  circle  became  painful    For 
many  long  minutes  the  surface  of  the  water  remain 
ed  nearly  smooth.      We  dreaded,  but  longed  for  a 
change.     This  state  of  suspense  was  growing  intol 
erable.     I  could  hear  the  deep,  long-drawn  respira 
tions  of  those  around  me ;  I  saw  the  quick,  anxious 
glances  they  turned  to   windward ;    and  I  almost 
fancied  I  could  read  every  thought  that  passed  within 
their  breasts.     Suddenly  a  white  streak  of  foam  ap 
peared  within  a  hundred  yards.     Scarcely  had  we 
unshipped  our  oars,  when  the  squall  burst  upon  us 
with  a  stunning  violence.     The  weather  side  of  the 
boat  was  raised  high  out  of  the  water,  and  the  rush 
ing  foam  dashed  over  the  gunwale  in  torrents.     We 
soon  trimmed  her,  however,  and,  by  hard  bailing,  got 
her  clear  of  water.     It  is  utterly  impossible  to  con 
ceive  the  violence  of  the  wind.     Small  as  the  sur 
face  exposed  to  the  squall  was,  we  flew  through  the 
foaming  seas,  dragging  the  dead  body  of  the  whale 


124       NEARER    THE    WHALE    THAN    THE    VESSEL. 

after  us  with  incredible  velocity.  Thus  situated,  en 
tirely  at  the  mercy  of  the  wind  and  sea,  we  con 
tinued  every  moment  to  increase  our  distance  from 
the  barque.  When  the  squall  abated,  we  came  to 
under  the  lee  of  the  whale,  and  looked  to  leeward 
for  the  barque.  Not  a  speck  could  be  seen  on  the 
horizon  !  Night  was  rapidly  approaching,  and  we 
were  alone  upon  the  broad,  angry  ocean ! 

"Ship  your  oars,"  said  the  headsman;  "we'll  not 
part  company  with  old  Blubber  yet.  If  we  can't 
make  the  barque,  we  can  make  land  somewhere." 

"  Ay,  ay,"  said  Tabor,  with  a  sly  leer,  "  and  live 
on  roast-beef  and  turkey  while  we're  making  it." 

With  heavy  hearts  and  many  misgivings  we  ship 
ped  our  oars,  heartily  wishing  the  whale  in  the  devil's 
try-pots ;  for  we  thought  it  rather  hard  that  our  lives 
should  be  risked  for  a  few  barrels  of  oil.  For  two 
hours  we  pulled  a  long,  lazy,  dogged  stroke,  without 
a  sign  of  relief.  At  last  Tabor  stood  up  on  the  bow 
to  look  out,  and  we  lay  on  our  oars. 

"  Well,  Tabor,  what  d'ye  see  V  was  the  general 
inquiry. 

"  Why,"  said  Tabor,  coolly  rolling  the  quid  from 
his  weather  to  his  lee  cheek,  "  I  see  a  cussed  old 
barque  that  looks  like  Granny  Howland's  wash-tub, 
with  a  few  broom-sticks  rigged  up  in  the  middle  of 
it." 

"  Pull,  you  devils  !"  cried  P ;  "  there's  duff  in 

the  cook's  coppers." 


CUT    ACCORDING MANY   WHALES,    LITTLE    OIL.      125 


"  Yes  !  I  think  I  smell  it,"  said  Tabor. 

It  was  nearly  dark  when  we  arrived  alongside  of 
the  barque  with  our  prize ;  but  what  was  our  sur 
prise  to  find  that  the  starboard  and  larboard  boats 
had  killed  jive  whales  between  them  !  They  were 
all  of  a  small  size,  and  did  not  average  more  than 
fifteen  barrels  each. 

That  night  not  a  breath  of  air  ruffled  the  clear, 
broad  ocean  as  it  swelled  beneath  and  around  us, 
forming  a  multitude  of  mirrors  that  reflected  all  the 
beauties  of  the  splendid  canopy  above.  The  moon 
arose  with  unusual  brilliancy.  It  was  a  night  for  the 
winged  spirits  of  the  air.  I  enjoyed  a  melancholy 
pleasure  in  walking  the  decks  beneath  the  soft  moon 
beams,  thinking  of  past  times.  Silence  reigned  over 


126  POETICAL    FIT. 

the  deep.  The  calm,  broad  ocean  presented  a  beauti 
ful  simile  of  repose,  and  the  light,  shadowy  clouds 
floated  motionless  in  the  air,  as  if  in  awe  of  the 
mighty  wilderness  of  waters  beneath  them.  A  clear, 
silvery  light  beamed  over  the  glassy  swell ;  and  far 
away  the  moon's  rays,  casting  their  soft  and  delicate 
glow  over  the  whole  scene,  gradually  vanished  in  a 
dreamy  haze  upon  the  horizon.  I  gazed  with  pen 
sive  feelings  upon  this  scene ;  so  calm,  so  heavenly, 
so  unrivalled  in  its  loveliness;  and  I  thought,  with  a 
sigh,  of  the  coming  day  :  the  fiery,  tropical  sun ;  the 
loud,  harsh  voices  of  the  officers  giving  orders ;  the 
heat  and  smoke  of  the  try- works ;  and  all  the  reali 
ties  of  a  whaleman's  life.  I  have  heard  of  the  soli 
tude  of  the  desert ;  but  what  can  compare  with  that 
of  the  ocean  at  such  a  time  as  this  1 

Never  had  the  sea  looked  more  beautiful  than  it 
did  that  night.  It  was  a  source  of  pleasure  to  feel 
that,  notwithstanding  the  wretched  life  I  led,  there 
were  still  left  a  few  of  the  better  feelings  of  my  na 
ture.  A  passage  in  the  "  Vision  of  Don  Roderic" 
occurred  to  me  as  singularly  expressive  of  the  check 
ered  fortunes  of  a  sea-farer.  Well  might  I  hope  the 
light  cloud  which  occasionally  obscured  the  moon's 
brightness  might  prove  a  happy  omen  of  my  future 
fate: 

"  Melting,  as  a  wreath  of  snow  it  hangs 
In  folds  of  wavy  silver  round,  and  clothes 
The  orb  in  richer  beauties  than  her  own  ; 
Then,  passing,  leaves  her  in  her  light  serene." 

At  daylight  next  morning  all  hands  were  called, 


"  CUTTING   IN."  127 

and  set  to  work  getting  up  the  cutting  tackle,  and 
making  other  preparations  for  cutting  in.  As  this 
process  of  "  cutting  in"  seems  to  be  but  imperfectly 
understood  by  those  who  have  not  been  engaged  in 
the  business,  it  would  perhaps  be  well  enough  to  de 
vote  a  page  or  two  of  description  to  it  in  this  place. 
When  the  whale  has  been  towed  alongside  by  the 
boats,  it  is  firmly  secured  by  a  large  rope  attached  to 
the  "  small"  by  a  running  noose.  There  is  not  a 
little  ingenuity  in  the  manner  in  which  the  fluke 
rope  is  first  passed  under  the  body  of  the  whale.  A 
small  line,  to  which  a  lead  is  fastened,  with  a  block 
of  wood  at  the  extremity,  several  fathoms  from  the 
lead,  is  thrown  over  between  the  whale  and  the 
ship's  side.  From  the  impetus  given  to  the  lead,  it 
sinks  in  a  diagonal  direction,  drawing  the  block 
down  after  it.  One  end  of  the  lead  line  is  fastened 
to  the  end  of  the  fluke  rope  on  board,  and  the  block 
attached  to  the  other  rises  at  the  off  side  of  the 
whale.  It  is  then  hauled  on  board  by  means  of  a 
wire  hook  fastened  to  a  long  pole,  and,  in  hauling 
it  in,  the  fluke  rope  passes  round  under  the  body  of 
the  whale,  till  the  end  arrives  on  board,  when  it  is 
passed  through  the  loop  in  the  other  extremity,  and 
thus  a  running  noose  is  formed,  which  is  easily  slip 
ped  down  to  the  small.  The  fluke  rope  is  then 
made  fast  on  the  forecastle,  and  the  flukes  are  hauled 
up  to  the  bow,  or  as  near  as  they  will  reach,  leaving 
the  head  pointed  aft.  Of  course,  the  size  of  the  ves 
sel  and  the  length  of  the  whale  make  a  great  differ- 


128  "  CUTTING   IN." 

ence;  but  in  general  the  head  reaches  to  the  quarter. 
To  prevent  concussion,  the  whale  is  always  on  the 
weather  side.  The  progress  of  the  vessel,  which  is 
usually  under  easy  sail  during  the  time  of  cutting  in, 
keeps  the  whale  from  drifting  out  at  right  angles 
from  the  side ;  though,  in  most  cases,  the  head  is 
kept  in  its  appropriate  position  by  a  small  rope  made 
fast  aft. 

The  cutting  tackle  is  attached  to  a  powerful  strap, 
or  pendant,  passing  round  the  mast  in  the  main-top 
by  two  large  blocks.  There  are,  in  fact,  two  tackles, 
the  falls  of  which  pass  round  the  windlass.  To  each 
of  these  tackles  is  attached  a  large  blubber  hook, 
which,  upon  being  made  fast  to  the  blubber,  are 
hauled  up  by  the  windlass,  one  only  being  in  opera 
tion  at  a  time,  so  that  when  the  first  strip  of  blubber, 
or  "  blanket  piece,"  reaches  the  stationary  block  on 
the  pendant,  the  other  can  be  made  fast  by  a  strap 
and  bolt  of  wood  to  a  hole  cut  below  the  point  at 
which  that  blanket  piece  is  to  be  cut  off.  I  have 
endeavored  to  give  some  idea  of  this  part  of  the 
process  in  the  frontispiece  accompanying  the  work. 
The  blanket  pieces  are  stripped  off  in  a  spiral  direc 
tion,  running  down  toward  the  flukes ;  the  whale 
turning,  at  every  heave  of  the  windlass,  till  the  whole 
covering  of  blubber  is  stripped  off  to  the  flukes,  which 
are  hoisted  on  board,  and  those  parts  containing  oil 
cut  away,  and  the  remainder  thrown  overboard. 
The  head  having,  in  the  first  place,  been  cut  off  and 
secured  to  the  stern,  is  now  hauled  up,  with  the  nose 


CUTTING    IN.  129 

down,  if  too  large  to  be  taken  on  board,  and  hoisted 
as  far  out  of  the  water  as  may  be  found  convenient, 
and  the  oil  or  liquid  spermaceti  bailed  out  with  a 
vessel  attached  to  a  long  pole,  and  thus  taken  in  and 
saved.  As  there  is  no  little  risk  attending  this  mode 
of  getting  the  spermaceti,  and  a  great  deal  of  waste, 
the  head  is  always  taken  on  board,  when  not  too 
large  or  heavy. 

The  "  case,"  which  is  the  name  given  by  whalers 
to  the  head,  sometimes  contains  from  ten  to  fifteen 
barrels  of  oil  and  spermaceti.  A  single  "blanket 
piece"  not  unfrequently  weighs  a  ton  or  upward.  In 
hauling  it  up  by  the  tackles,  it  careens  the  vessel 
over  frequently  to  an  angle  of  fifteen  o-r  twenty  de 
grees,  owing  to  its  own  great  weight,  combined  with 
that  of  the  whale,  the  upper  surface  of  which  it 
raises  several  feet  out  of  the  water.  When  the 
blanket  piece  has  reached  the  stationary  block  in  the 
top,  it  is  cut  off  by  a  boat-steerer,  who  stands  by 
with  a  boarding  knife,  having  first,  however,  been 
secured  below  by  the  other  blubber  hook,  which  is 
hauled  taught,  to  prevent  it  from  breaking  away  by 
too  sudden  a  jerk.  The  upper  piece  then  swings 
in,  and,  when  it  ceases  its  pendulating  motion,  is 
dropped  down  into  the  hold  or  fetabber-room,  where 
it  is  cut  up  into  blocks  of  a  foot  and  a  half  or  two 
feet  in  length,  and  eight  or  ten  inches  in  width. 
These  blocks  are  called  "  horse  pieces."  The  white, 
hard  blocks,  containing  but  little  oil,  and  which  are 
found  near  the  small,  and  at  the  flukes,  are  called 

R 


130  NEARLY    MADE    A    MEAL    OF. 

"  white  horse."  The  carcass  of  the  whale,  when 
stripped  of  its  blubber,  is  cast  loose,  and  soon  sinks 
from  the  want  of  its  buoyant  covering.  I  have  seen 
it  float  astern,  however,  some  distance  without  sink 


ing. 


Breakfast  over,  all  hands  were  called  to  cut  in. 
Six  or  eight  men  were  stationed  at  the  windlass,  two 
in  the  blubber-room,  and  the  boat-steerers  in   the 
waist.     The  first  and  second  mates  took  their  sta 
tion  on  a  couple  of  stages,  or  platforms,  rigged  out  at 
the  gangway,  each  provided  with  a  spade.     One  of 
the  boat-steerers,  whose  turn  it  was  to  fasten  the 
blubber  hook,  went  down  over  the  side  on  the  whale's 
back,  and,  after  several  unsuccessful  attempts,  and 
rather  an  uncomfortable  ducking,  performed  his  task. 
While  yet  on  the  whale's  back,  a  large,  hungry-look 
ing  shark,  which  had  been  eyeing  him  for  some  time 
very  anxiously,  was  washed  up  behind  him  by  a 
heavy  sea,  and  apparently  loath  to  lose  so  good  an 
opportunity  of  making  a  meal,  began  to  work  his 
way  along  the  slimy  surface    till  within  a  foot  or 
two  of  the  boat-steerer's  heels.     The  officers  hap 
pened  at  the  moment  to  be  looking  up  at  the  pend 
ant  block,  and  in  all  probability  the  man  would  have 
been  seriously  injured,  if  not  carried  off  bodily,  but 
for  the  timely  alarm  of  one  of  the  crew.     The  mate 
immediately  turned  to  see  what  was  the  matter,  and 
perceiving  the  critical  position  of  the  boat-steeren 
brought  his  spade  to  bear  upon  the  shark,  and  at  a 
single  dart  chopped  off  his  tail.     Strange  to  say,  the 


IN    SPORT.  131 

greedy  monster  did  not  appear  to  be  particularly  con 
cerned  at  this  indignity,  but,  sliding  back  into  his 
native  element,  very  leisurely  swam  off,  to  the  great 
apparent  amusement  of  his  comrades,  who  pursued 
him  with  every  variety  of  gyrations.  It  surprised  me 
to  see  with  what  cool  indifference  the  boat-steerer 
witnessed  the  whole  transaction.  I  do  not  remem 
ber  that  he  said  a  word  about  it. 

The  various  duties  being  apportioned  to  the  men 
without  favor  or  choice,  it  fell  to  my  lot  to  sit  on  the 
weather  side  of  the  quarter-deck  and  turn  the  grind 
stone  ;  a  tiresome  and  monotonous  task.  The  cooper 
attended  to  the  sharpening  of  the  spades,  boarding 
knives,  and  other  implements  used  in  "cutting  in." 
I  am  not  sure  that  I  had  the  hardest  of  the  work  to 
do,  but  it  certainly  was  the  most  unpleasant ;  for  I 
could  not  prevail  upon  any  of  the  hands  to  change 
places  with  me,  even  for  a  brief  period.  My  appear 
ance  at  this  time  would  have  been  somewhat  strik 
ing  to  some  of  my  friends  in  Washington.  With  my 
duck  frock  all  black  with  whale-gurry,  my  trowsers 
torn  and  smeared  with  rough  work,  my  red  Scotch 
cap  half-way  over  my  eyes,  and  my  face  oily  and 
sunburned,  I  certainly  looked  as  little  like  my  original 
self  as  one  can  well  imagine.  There  I  turned  that 
grindstone,  and  turned  on  hour  after  hour,  and  turned 
the  palm  of  my  right  hand  into  a  great  blister,  and 
turned  the  palm  of  my  left  into  another ;  turned  both 
my  arms  into  a  personified  pain  ;  turned  every  rem 
nant  of  romance  out  of  my  head ;  turned  and  turned 


132  A  "TURN"  FOR  SPORT. 

till  my  grand  tour  seemed  to  have  turned  inta  a 
grindstone ;  round  and  round  I  turned  that  stone  till 
I  began  to  think  I  was  a  piece  of  the  handle,  and 
turned  with  it ;  and  my  head  appeared  to  turn,  and 
my  feet  to  turn,  and  the  game-legged  cooper  to  turn, 
and  the  ship  to  turn,  and  the  sea,  and  the  whale,  and 
the  sharks,  and  the  clouds,  and  all  creation  seemed 
to  be  turning  with  myself  and  that  grindstone ! 
Having  at  last  contrived  to  get  a  sufficient  number 
of  spades  sharpened  ahead  of  the  mates,  I  peeped 
over  the  quarter-rail  to  see  how  they  were  getting 
on.  The  sharks  had  by  this  time  gathered  around 
the  vessel  in  immense  numbers,  and  eight  or  ten 
were  fighting  just  under  the  quarter  for  a  piece  of  the 
whale's  carcass  which  had  been  cut  away.  Watch 
ing  my  opportunity,  I  snatched  up  a  spade,  slipped 
it  over  while  the  captain  was  forward,  and  began  a 
terrible  onslaught  among  the  sharks.  With  five  or 
six  thrusts  I  killed  four  of  the  greedy  monsters,  by 
striking  them  on  the  back  of  the  head,  and  cutting 
the  principal  artery.  This  was  quite  a  refreshing 
little  episode  in  my  business  of  turning ;  and  my  suc 
cess  in  the  destruction  of  sharks  induced  me  to  be 
lieve  that  I  had  a  greater  natural  turn  for  sport  than 
the  monotonous  turning  of  a  grindstone.  But  my 
amusement  was  of  short  duration.  The  eagle  eye 
of  the  captain  espied  me  before  I  could  get  in  the 
long  pole  of  the  spade. 

"  Ha  !  what  are  you  at  there  ?"  cried  his  highness 
directly  behind  me,  at  the  very  moment  when  I  sup- 


PRIVILEGED    SHARKS. APOLLO    AT    SEA.         133 

posed  he  was  on  the  forecastle  giving  orders  to  the 
men.  "  What  are  you  at,  hey  ?" 

"  Keeping  off  the  sharks,  sir." 

"  Who  told  you  to  keep  'em  off?" 

"  Nobody,  sir." 

"  Haul  in  that  spade  directly  !" 

"Ay,  ay,  sir!" 

"  And,  look'ee,  if  I  catch  you  keepin'  off  any  more 
sharks,  I'll  wipe  you  down  with  a  rope's  end !" 

"Ay,  ay,  sir!" 

"  Cooper,  hain't  you  got  no  work  for  this  fel 
low  ] 

"  Not  just  now,  sir." 

"  Go  to  the  windlass,  then,  and  rest  yourself  on  a 
handspike !" 

"  Ay,  ay,  sir  !" 

I  had  reason  to  consider  my  shark-killing  a  poor 
speculation.  The  heaving  and  surging  at  the  wind 
lass  was  but  a  questionable  improvement  upon  my 
old  business  of  turning  the  grindstone.  At  the  word, 
"  Heave  away !"  somebody  struck  up  an  extempo 
raneous  song,  which,  to  the  best  of  my  recollection, 
had  no  particular  claims  to  poetical  merit,  but  ran 
somewhat  thus : 

"  Heave  him  up !     O  he  yo  ! 

Butter  and  cheese  for  breakfast 
Raise  the  dead  !     O  he  yo  ! 

The  steward  he's  a  makin'  swankey. 
Heave  away  !     O  he  yo  ! 

Duff  for  dinner !     Duff  for  dinner ! 
Now  I  see  it !     O  he  yo  ! 

Hurrah  for  the  Cape  Cod  gals  ! 


134  AT  IT  AGAIN:  PLEASANT. 

Now  I  don't.     O  he  yo  ! 

Round  the  corner,  Sally  ! 
Up  she  comes  !     O  he  yo  ! 

Slap-jacks  for  supper ! 
lie — re — ra — ra — oo — we  ye  yo  ho  !     Them's  'um!" 

At  the  conclusion  of  this  medley,  the  captain, 
who  had  seated  himself  in  the  starboard  quarter  boat 
to  inspect  the  cutting,  began  to  criticise  the  mate's 
style  of  cutting  rather  severely.  Now  the  mate,  be 
it  known,  was  really  a  very  skillful  whaleman,  and 
handled  the  spade  with  an  unerring  hand.  The 
"  old  man's"  comments,  thus  lowering  him  in  the 
eyes  of  the  crew,  by  no  means  pleased  him. 

"  I  say,  Mr.  D ,"  persisted  the  captain,  "  that's 

not  the  wray  to  cut  in  a  whale.  I  don't  want  no 
such  work  as  that  about  me." 

"  It's  my  way,  sir,"  replied  the  mate,  getting  very 
red  in  the  face. 

"  Well,  I  never  see  a  whale  cut  that  way.  I  ain't 
used  to  it ;  I  won't  have  it." 

"  You  haven't  seen  every  thing  yet,  sir.  I've  al 
ways  cut  whales  this  wav/'and  always  mean  to 
do  it." 

"  No  you  won't ;  not  here  you  won't.  You  can 
just  cut  as  I  tell  you." 

"I  reckon  I  know  my  own  business,  Captain 

A .  Now,  sir,  I'm  not  a  going  to  be  dictated  to 

in  this  manner.  If  you  think  you  can  cut  a  whale 
better  than  I  can,  you'd  better  take  my  place." 

After  some  more  angry  words,  during  which  both 
the  captain  and  mate  became  much  excited,  and 


WHALING    TOUR    VS.    TRAVELING.  135 

threatened  to  whip  each  other,  the  quarrel  ceased, 
and  the  "  old  man"  went  below  in  high  dudgeon. 

This  was  all  "  nuts"  for  me.  I  was  rejoiced  to 
see  somebody  among  the  privileged  few  talk  up  to 
him  as  he  deserved.  Indeed,  I  was  itching  to  ex 
press  my  own  personal  opinion  on  the  subject,  but 
had  no  particular  fancy  for  the  mode  of  "  wiping 
down"  hinted  at  a  short  time  previously. 

Cutting  in,  trying  out,  and  clearing  up  the  decks, 
occupied  us  for  the  next  six  days.  We  had  an 
average  of  five  hours'  sleep  out  of  the  twenty-four. 
Working  incessantly  in  oil,  which  penetrated  to  the 
skin,  and  kept  us  in  a  most  uncomfortable  condition, 
besides  being  continually  saturated  with  salt  water, 
produced  a  very  disagreeable  effect  upon  those  who 
were  not  accustomed  to  such  things,  by  chafing  the 
skin,  and  causing  painful  tumors  to  break  out  over 
the  whole  body.  Before  I  had  half  finished  my 
share  of  the  labor,  I  heartily  wished  myself  in  the 
meanest  dog-kennel  ashore,  or,  to  borrow  an  old 
idea,  I  should  have  considered  myself  in  an  enviable 
situation  had  some  enemy  been  kicking  me  down 
Pennsylvania  Avenue.  Tabor,  the  oldest  whaleman 
on  board,  who  laughed  at  hardships,  and  took  all  the 
disagreeable  parts  of  his  duty  with  the  utmost  good- 
humor,  frequently  joked  me  on  my  "  grand  tour  to 
Europe." 

"  What  do  you  think  of  whaling  now,  B 1 

Is  it  equal  to  traveling  in  Italy  ?" 

"I  think  not,  Tabor." 


136        SUDDEN    LIBERALITY. RANCID    BUTTER. 

"  Tain't  writing  short-hand  neither,  is  it  ?  I  think 
you'd  as  lief  be  in  Washington,  with  them  thar  big 
members  of  Congress,  as  blubber-hunting.  Cutting 
figures  with  the  pen  ain't  cutting  blubber,  by  a  con 
siderable  sight,  is  it  V 

1  freely  acknowledged  that,  of  the  two  sorts  of 
cutting,  I  preferred  cutting  figures  with  the  pen ;  at 
which  Tabor  laughed  most  heartily,  assuring  me 
that  "  it  was  nothing  when  I'd  get  used  to  it,  By'm- 
by  I'd  see  what  whaling  was.  This  wasn't  a  cir 
cumstance.  I'd  smell  smoke  yet.  I'd  begin  to  find 
out  what  some  folks  was  a,t  while  others  was  riding 
about  in  chaises." 

We  had  an  extra  supply  of  meat  on  this  occasion, 
with  about  a  quarter  of  a  pound  of  rancid  butter, 
which  was  to  be  divided  among  all  hands.  This 
unusual  liberality  on  the  part  of  the  captain  aston 
ished  us  all,  and  filled  our  hearts  with  gratitude.  We 
took  the  saucer  containing  the  precious  morsel,  and, 
seating  ourselves  in  a  circle  round  it,  enjoyed  our 
good  fortune  by  various  amusing  comments  upon 
the  captain's  unparalleled  liberality.  Of  all  things  in 
the  world,  sailors  despise  most  a  stingy,  thin-skinned 
captain.  They  will  excuse  cruelty,  unnecessary 
hardship,  or  coarse  and  brutal  language,  for  they  be 
come  accustomed  to  it ;  but  any  thing  like  stinginess 
or  meanness  they  heartily  detest.  Bill  Mann  growl 
ed  like  a  sick  bear,  protesting,  in  his  own  peculiar 
style,  that  it  was  "  the  blamdest  thing  he  ever  saw 
done  aboard  any  ship.  He  wished  his  soul  might 


SAILOR    COMMENTS.  137 

everlastin'ly  stick  fast  in  purgatory,  if  he  wouldn't 
tell  the  counsel  of  it."  Mack  wanted  to  carry  it 
back  to  him  with  the  thanks  of  the  crew,  "  hopin' 
he  wouldn't  rob  himself,  for  the  men  was  afraid  to 
eat  it,  bein'  as  they  had  never  seen  any  thing  like  it 
since  they'd  follered  the  sea."  This  proposition 
was  negatived,  and  we  at  last  agreed  to  mix  the  but 
ter  up  with  a  pan  of  dirty  bread  and  heave  it  over 
board.  The  captain,  who  was  sitting  in  the  stern 
boat,  chanced  to  spy  the  bread  as  it  floated  toward 
him,  and  seizing  a  pole  with  a  small  net  attached  to 
it,  which  he  always  kept  in  the  boat,  he  hooked  up 
every  morsel  of  it.  Owing  to  the  round-house  con 
cealing  him  from  our  view,  we  knew  nothing  about 
this,  till  he  came  forward  about  fifteen  minutes  after, 
with  a  plate  in  his  hand,  containing  what  we  sup 
posed  to  be  an  additional  treat  for  all  hands.  There 
was  a  fiendish  smile  of  triumph  visible  about  his  lips, 
however,  and  a  ferocity  in  his  eyes  that  boded  us 
no  good.  Holding  the  plate  out  toward  us,  he  point 
ed  with  his  forefinger  at  the  startling  apparition  of 
the  resuscitated  bread,  and  demanded,  in  a  deep, 
distinct  voice, 

"  Which  on  ye  did  that,  hey  1  Look  at  it,  every 
one  o'  ye ;  examine  it  well.  Did  ye  never  see  it  be 
fore,  hey  ?  Taste  it ;  it's  got  salt  water  in  it,  but 
it's  good,  hey  ?  A  nice  set  of  darned  rascals  !  Don't 
get  enough  to  eat,  hey  1  I  starve  you,  do  I,  hey  ? 
You  don't  like  butter ;  oh  no,  you  can't  eat  it !  Nice 

S 


138  FISHING    FOR    VICTUALS. 

stomachs,  I'll  swan  !  Whose  work  is  this  ?  Don't 
all  answer  at  once  !  Who  did  it  ?" 

No  one  answered.  We  all  felt  that  wre  were 
guilty,  and  it  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that,  taken 
aback  so  suddenly,  we  could  account  for  the  unex 
pected  reappearance  of  the  bread  and  butter,  which 
we  had  supposed  was  food  for  the  sharks,  in  no  other 
way  than  by  presuming  old  Skinflint  was  in  league 
with  the  devil. 

"  Oh,  you  didn't  do  it,  none  on  ye  !"  shouted  the 
captain,  letting  loose  his  wrath.  "  It  grew  in  salt 
water!  It  wasn't  hove  overboard  at  all!  Well! 
take  and  eat  it  now ;  and,  mark  my  words,  the  first 
man  I  catch  heavin'  good  vittals  overboard,  I'll  heave 
him  overboard  !"  With  that  he  flung  it  down  before 
us  and  walked  aft,  grieving  over  our  depravity  and 
his  probable  loss.  From  that  time  forth  he  used  to 
sit  in  the  stern  boat  for  hours  every  day,  dodging  his 
net  in  the  water  at  every  thing  that  looked  like  bis 
cuit  o-r  meat.  Sometimes  he  would  catch  up  what 
he  didn't  bargain  for,  and  his  low,  half-smothered 
comments,  audible  only  to  the  man  at  the  wheel, 
would  afford  us  infinite  amusement.  Patience  and 
perseverance  finally  rewarded  him  with  success. 
He  had  been  at  his  post  regularly  three  times  every 
day  for  about  a  month,  fishing  up  whatever  attract 
ed  his  insatiate  eye,  when  one  day  he  made  a  haul 
of  a  fine  fat  piece  of  pork.  He  jerked  it  in,  chuck 
ling  over  his  good  fortune,  and  muttering,  "  Aha  ! 
I've  caught  you  at  last,  you  infernal  scoundrels  !  I'll 


WHO    TROW    DAT    BRICK  ?  139 

give  you  fat  pork  to  throw  away  in  a  hurry  again !" 
Calling  to  the  steward  to  pass  up  a  fork,  he  spitted 
it  handsomely,  and  carried  it  forward  for  our  inspec 
tion.  Looking  each  of  us  hard  in  the  face  by  turns, 
he  demanded,  in  a  voice  of  thunder,  "  Who  hove 
the  pork  overboard  ]" 

No  answer. 

"  Won't  you  tell  me,  you  sheepheads  V 

No  answer  yet. 

"  You  won't,  eh       It's  your  work,  M'F V9 

"No,  sir,  taint.  Pork's  scarce  about  these  dig- 
gins.  I  don't  throw  away  a  good  chunk  when  I 
get  hold  on't." 

"  It's  you  then,  Vernon.  I'll  skin  you  for  it.  I'll 
show  you  how  to  waste  good  meat,  you  worthless 
bullet-head.  You  don't  earn  your  salt." 

"  T wasn't  I,  sir.     I  was  down  in  the  forecastle." 

"  Then  you  know  who  did  it  V 

11  No,  sir,  I  don't." 

"  What  the  devil  do  you  know  1" 

"  I  know  I  hadn't  enough  o'  meat  for  dinner." 

"  You  hadn't,  eh  ?  Well,  Til  see  to  it.  You're  a 
parcel  of  hogs,  that's  what  you  are !  Cook,  from 
this  time  forth  cut  these  men's  meat  up  in  small 
pieces,  and  just  give  'em  as  many  pieces  as'll  go 
round." 

"  Ay,  ay,  sir." 

"Now  I'll  know  when  meat's  wasted  again,  and 
why."  So  saying,  he  walked  aft,  satisfied  at  least 
that  half  a  pound  lost  was  a  barrel  gained.  Wheth- 


140  SAILOR    COURTESY. 

er  the  piece  which  he  picked  up  had  been  thrown 
over  purposely,  or  had  fallen  from  the  top  of  the  ca 
boose  accidentally,  I  never  could  find  out;  but  this 
much  I  know,  our  share  of  meat  soon  resembled  the 
Irishman's  dinner  of  "potatoes  and  point,"  ban-in' 
the  potatoes. 

It  is  customary,  in  most  vessels,  to  give  the  watch 
es  their  meals  alternately,  the  watch  below  being 
served  first.  This  prevents  confusion  and  quarrel 
ing.  The  watch  on  deck,  when  relieved,  can  then 
enjoy  their  meals  at  their  leisure.  Sailors  generally, 
though  any  thing  but  deficient  in  appetite,  have  great 
respect  for  the  decencies  of  civilized  life  on  such  oc 
casions  as  these.  I  have  never  seen  selfishness  or 
greediness  on  board  well-disciplined  ships  during 
meal  times.  On  the  contrary,  it  is  surprising  to  find 
a  very  delicate  sense  of  propriety  among  men  who 
have  had  so  few  opportunities  of  cultivating  the  re 
finements  of  social  intercourse.  I  have  often  seen  a 
well-behaved  and  orderly  crew  seated  around  the 
forecastle,  eating  their  meals  in  peace  and  good-hu 
mor,  and  each  one  neglecting  no  opportunity  of  ex 
tending  a  courtesy  to  his  shipmate.  This  is  almost 
invariably  the  case  where  they  are  well  treated  by 
the  captain  and  officers.  Like  children,  they  can 
be  moulded  to  almost  any  thing ;  and  where  a  bad 
example  is  set  aft,  the  best  of  them  will  be  sure  to 
follow  it.  No  one  who  has  never  been  to  sea  and 
witnessed  such  scenes,  can  conceive  the  importance 
of  these  little  forms  of  politeness,  and  their  happy 


SCRAMBLING    FIRE.  141 

effects  upon  the  crew.  Where  there  is  a  kindly 
feeling  on  the  part  of  every  man  toward  his  neigh 
bors,  the  worst  fare  can  be  eaten  with  relish. 

How  different  it  was  with  us  !  We  had  been  so 
accustomed  to  see  quarreling  between  the  captain 
and  his  officers,  and  so  much  discontent  manifested 
by  the  latter  about  their  meals,  that  it  would  have 
been  a  miracle  if  we  had  not  imbibed  the  prevailing 
spirit.  But  we  had  our  frailties  too,  and  were  not 
proof  against  the  example  of  these  high  authorities. 
There  was  some  excuse  for  us,  however ;  we  really 
had  something  to  be  discontented  about.  The  cap 
tain  had  shipped  a  gang  of  voracious  and  filthy  Por 
tuguese,  whose  condition  had  never  been  better  than 
that  of  swine,  and  with  these  uncultivated  brutes  we 
were  compelled  in  self-defense  to  do  the  best  we 
could  for  ourselves.  It  was  degrading  to  the  pride 
of  those  who  were  burdened  with  that  inconvenient 
commodity  to  be  obliged  to  rush  like  hungry  wolves 
for  a  mouthful  of  meat  at  meal-times ;  but  there  was 
no  help  for  it.  We  either  had  to  join  in  the  strug 
gle,  or  lose  our  allowance ;  for  it  was  seldom  there 
was  enough  before  us  to  satisfy  half  our  number. 

Although  it  was  no  joke  to  be  starved,  I  always 
found  food  for  merriment  when  I  could  get  nothing 
of  a  more  substantial  nature.  The  cook,  in  order  to 
see  fair  play,  generally  watched  his  opportunity,  and, 
when  the  hands  were  scattered  around  the  forecas 
tle,  he  would  pitch  the  meat  kid  down  on  the  deck, 
and  sing  out,  at  the  top  of  his  voice,  "  Meat !  meat  J 


142  "  MEAT  OR  NO  MEAT  ?" 

fall  to,  all  hands !"  This  startling  intelligence  never 
required  repetition.  Those  who  were  nearest  would 
jump  up  and  run  toward  the  smoking  morsel  as  if 
simultaneously  stung  by  a  score  of  wasps.  Those 
who,  unfortunately,  happened  to  be  at  a  distance,  had 
no  resource  but  to  dart  after  their  leaders  in  the  rush, 
and,  by  dint  of  hard  struggling,  secure  a  place  by  the 
meat  kid.  There  was  something  indescribably  lu 
dicrous  in  the  earnestness  with  which  we  all  entered 
into  the  contest.  It  was  not  exactly  a  struggle  in 
volving  "  life  or  death,"  but  it  was  of  scarcely  less  im 
portance  ;  for  "  Meat,  or  no  meat  ?"  was  the  grand 
question.  Nor  did  we  hesitate  to  resort  to  the  most 
cunning  expedients  to  obtain  our  fair  proportion  of 
the  salt  junk.  When  hard  pressed,  it  was  not  un 
usual  to  pick  up  a  rival  and  carry  him  back  ten  or 
twelve  paces,  and,  before  he  could  regain  his  legs, 
take  advantage  of  his  absence,  and  get  in  six  feet 
ahead  of  him.  Some  had  been  shouldered  away  so 
often  in  this  manner  by  those  who  were  larger  and 
stouter,  that  hunger  taught  them  a  new  expedient ; 
and  they  secured  their  share  on  several  occasions  by 
working  in  like  eels  under  the  legs  of  those  who  were 
ahead  of  them.  Big  John,  the  Portuguese,  having 
the  advantage  of  us  all  in  size  and  strength,  would 
sometimes  make  a  clean  sweep  with  his  arms,  and 
lay  half  a  dozen  of  us  sprawling  on  the  deck ;  but, 
being  less  greedy  than  the  rest  of  the  Portuguese,  he 
never  took  more  than  his  share,  and  only  exerted  his 
powers  in  this  way  for  the  sake  of  amusement.  The 


GET    WHAT    YOU    CAN.  145 

"  down-easter,"  with  characteristic  sagacity,  always 
managed  to  be  in  good  time ;  for,  when  a  little  be 
hind,  he  would  grab  hold  of  somebody  in  advance  of 
him,  and,  by  hard  pulling,  keep  him  back  till  each 
had  a  fair  start.      He  was  not  unfrequently  served 
the  same  trick  himself;  and  I  have  seen  as  many  as 
three  or  four  in  a  row  endeavoring  to  drag  each 
other  back.     Bill  Mann,  our  chief  grumbler,  in  a  fit 
of  indignation  at  such  swinish  proceedings,  would 
look  on,  and  protest,  "  If  ever  he  got  into  port,  he'd 
let  the  counsel  know  how  things   was   carried  on. 
He  didn't  care  a  bloody  cent  if  he  never  got  a  bit  to 
eat."     It  was  a  curious  fact,  however,  that  Bill  never 
came  to  the  latter  conclusion  until  the  superior  activ 
ity  of  his  comrades  had  deprived  him  of  the  last 
chance.     There  was  some  fun,  but  a  great  deal  more 
earnestness*  than  fun,  in  these  scrambles  for  food.   To 
the  landsman,  and,  indeed,  to  every  sea-farer  who 
has  not  been  in  a  vessel  of  the  same  description,  all 
this  must  look  exaggerated  and  improbable  ;  for  it  is 
hard  to  conceive  how  men  could  become  so  utterly 
degraded  as  to  conduct  themselves  with  so  little  re 
gard  to  the  decencies  of  life.     All  I  have  to  say  is, 
that  what  I  have  endeavored  to  describe  was  in 
duced  by  the  laws  of  nature,  and  the  description,  if 
any  thing,  falls  short  of  reality.     I  have  shown  that 
the  captain  paid  no  regard  to  our  appeals.     He  in 
variably  favored  the  Portuguese,  because  they  cringed 
to  him ;  and  our  complaints  to  him  of  their  beastli 
ness  produced  no  effect.     We  had  too  often  tried  the 

T 


146  LAW    AT    SEA. 

experiment  of  "  going  aft."  There  was  nothing  to 
be  gained  by  appeals  of  that  kind.  It  was  useless  to 
remonstrate  with  the  Portuguese  ;  and,  indeed,  I  can 
not  say  that  many  of  the  Americans  were  superior  to 
them  in  point  of  breeding.  Under  such  circum 
stances,  what  were  those  who  were  inclined  to  be 
civilized  to  do  I  It  would  be  unreasonable  to  sup 
pose  that  they  could  quietly  suffer  themselves  to  be 
starved.  Hunger  does  not  pay  much  regard  to  con 
ventional  rules,  especially  at  sea.  The  worst  of  it 
was,  that  it  was  only  through  cupidity  we  were  de 
nied  our  just  rights.  There  was  no  scarcity  of  pro 
vision  of  a  bad  quality  on  board  the  vessel ;  yet,  bad 
as  it  was,  we  were  unable  to  obtain  enough  of  it. 
The  law  allows  a  certain  proportion  of  wholesome 
food  to  each  man.  It  must  not  be  supposed,  how 
ever,  that  there  is  any  law  at  sea  but  the  captain's 
word ;  for,  notwithstanding  cases  sometimes  occur, 
in  which  seamen  bring  suit  against  the  masters  of 
vessels  for  refusing  them  their  legal  allowance,  it  is 
but  rarely  they  can  sustain  their  complaints  by  ade 
quate  proof.  There  is  almost  invariably  some  loop 
through  which  men  of  influence  and  wealth  can 
escape.  Besides,  even  should  a  suit  of  this  kind  be 
successful,  what  is  there  in  a  paltry  fine  to  recom 
pense  a  crew  for  two  or  three  years'  starvation  ? 
The  fact  is,  the  law,  so  far  as  it  regards  abuses  like 
this,  is  a  mere  burlesque ;  and  the  only  sure  way  of 
obtaining  redress  is,  for  the  crew  to  take  the  matter 
into  their  own  hands,  and  compel  the  captain  to  give 


MAKE  THE  CAPE  DE  VERDES.         147 

them  their  proper  allowance,  or  refuse  duty  alto 
gether.  This,  unfortunately,  is  but  poor  satisfaction, 
after  all ;  for  the  laws  against  mutiny  are  not  so  ea 
sily  evaded.  I  should  be  far  from  advising  such  a 
course ;  though  I  believe  it  is  the  only  one  which 
will  ever  produce  any  effect.  Put  men  to  trouble 
and  expense — touch  their  pockets,  and  they  will  be 
gin  to  listen  to  reason  and  justice. 


CHAPTER  X. 

Make  the  Cape  de  Verdes. — Isle  of  Sal. — Bonavista. — Isle  of  May. 
— Raising  Breaches. — Leton's  Rock. — Humor  of  the  Cook. — Isle 
of  St.  lago.— Porto  Praya.— Bill  Mann  "Three  Sheets  in  the 
Wind."— Bounty. — Its  Effects  upon  the  Crew. — A  Sail. — British 
Convict  Vessel. 

October  26th. — Made  the  Isle  of  Sal,  one  of  the 
Cape  de  Verdes,  distant  thirty  miles.  The  peak  is 
of  very  considerable  height,  and  bears  some  resem 
blance  to  the  Peak  of  Pico.  We  ran  down  along 
the  shore,  which  has  a  beautiful  and  fertile  appear 
ance,  and  had  a  fine  view  of  the  principal  harbor 
and  town.  There  were  several  vessels  in  port,  tak 
ing  in  cargoes  of  salt  for  South  America.  Lay  to 
all  night,  and  next  morning  at  daylight  made  sail  for 
Bonavista.  Learning  there  that  there  was  an  Amer- 

o 

ican  vessel  in  port  at  the  Isle  of  May,  we  haulod  off 


148  RAISING    BREACHES. 

and  ran  down  for  that  island,  the  captain  being  de 
sirous  to  send  home  the  oil  we  had  on  board. 

A  little  incident  occurred  during  the  day  which 
afforded  us  all  much  amusement.  D ,  the  coop 
er,  was  in  the  habit  of  "  raising  whales,"  when  no 
body  else  on  board  could  see  them ;  and  as  there 
was  a  bounty  up  for  the  first  whale  yielding  fifty  bar 
rels,  he  was  always  on  the  alert.  While  we  wrere 
standing  by  the  braces,  waiting  for  orders,  we  heard 
him  singing  out  from  the  mast-head  with  all  his 
might, 

"  Thar'  she  breaches  !     Thar'  she  breaches  !" 

"  Where  away  ?"  said  the  captain. 

"A  point  off  the  weather  bow,  sir.  Thar'  she 
breaches !" 

"How  far  off?" 

"Ten  miles.  Thar'  she  breaches!  Thar'  she 
breaches !" 

"  Don't  she  blow  at  all  ?" 

"  No,  sir ;  there's  no  spout ;  nothing  but  breaches 
— very  large  breaches.  Thar  she  breaches  !" 

"  Luff  up  to  the  wind.  Do  you  hear,  at  the  wheel  1 
Cooper,  are  those  breaches  in  sight  now  ?" 

"Yes,  sir;  I  see  them  all  the  time.  She  don't 
stop  breaching  at  all — large  breaches !  It  must  be 
a  very  large  sperm  whale.  Thar'  she  breaches ! 
Thar'  she  breaches  !" 

"What  the  deuse  !  don't  the  breaches  stop  at  all  ?" 

"  No,  sir.     Thar'  she  breaches  !  thar' — " 

"  Sing  out  every  time.  Get  your  boats  ready,  and 
call  all  hands." 


"UAR*   SHE    BREACH."  349 

"  Thar' — thar'—^r'  she  breaches  !"  shouted  the 
cooper,  from  the  mast-head.  For  upward  of  fifteen 
minutes  he  strained  his  lungs  in  this  way,  when  he 
suddenly  became  silent. 

"  Where's  the  whale  now  ?"  said  the  captain. 

"  I  don't  believe  it's  a  whale,  sir,"  replied  the  coop 
er,  in  a  tone  of  disappointment. 

"  What  in  the  nation  do  you  call  it,  then  ?" 

"  Why,  I  don't  know  exactly.  It  looked  very 
much  like  a  whale  at  first." 

"  How  now  1  Don't  you  know  a  whale  when 
you  see  one  1  What  is  it  ?" 

"  Well,  I  don't  know,  sir.  It  ain't  a  whale,  that's 
certain." 

"  You  don't  know,  you  infernal  sheephead  !  Stew 
ard,  pass  up  my  spyglass  !"  and,  taking  a  steady  look 
from  the  main-top  in  the  direction  indicated  by  the 
cooper,  he  suddenly  exclaimed,  "  Why,  h — 11  and 
d — n — n  !  that's  Letons  Hock  /" 

We  all  enjoyed  a  hearty  laugh  at  the  cooper  for 
his  mistake.  The  old  Portuguese  cook,  who  was 
something  of  a  wag,  rallied  him  most  unmercifully. 
For  weeks  after,  when  the  hands  would  gather  in 
the  waist  for  a  dance,  old  Slush,  grinning  from  ear 
to  ear,  would  gaze  toward  the  horizon  with  eyes 
like  saucers.  This  was  a  signal  for  some  of  the 
crew  to  sing  out,  "  Halloo,  Slush,  what  d'ye  see  ?" 

"  Large  sperm  whale,  sare  !  Dar'  she  breach ! 
Ten  miles  off,  sare  !  dar'  she  breach  !  She  breach 
all  de  time,  sare  !  Dar'  she  breach  !  Big  whale,  sare 


150  ISLE    ST.   IAGO. 

— dat  big  whale  !  He,  he,  he !  yaw,  yaw,  yaw ! 
Dar'  she  breach  !  Cooper,  you  sabe  big  rock  !" 

In  spite  of  the  bursts  of  laughter  which  invariably 
followed  this  sally  of  wit,  the  cooper  maintained  the 
utmost  good-humor,  and  always  joined  in  the  fun. 

Arrived  at  Mayo,  the  main-yard  was  hauled  aback, 
and  the  larboard  boat  went  ashore  with  the  captain. 
There  was  a  vessel  there  bound  to  the  United  States, 
from  which  we  procured  late  American  papers.  As 
the  two  captains  could  not  agree  upon  terms  for  the 
freight  of  the  oil  home,  we  made  no  stay.  From 
Mayo  we  continued  on  to  Bonavista,  another  of  the 
group,  which  derives  its  name  from  the  beautiful  and 
picturesque  appearance  which  it  presents  from  the 
sea.  The  shores,  along  which  we  steered  as  near 
as  was  considered  safe,  are  interspersed  with  patch 
es  of  white  sand  and  meadows  of  deep  green.  Pro 
ceeding  on,  without  meeting  with  any  thing  to  at 
tract  particular  attention,  we  arrived,  on  the  even 
ing  of 

October  2Sth,  at  Porto  Pray  a,  the  chief  town  and 
harbor  of  the  Island  of  St.  lago.  The  larboard  boat 
was  lowered,  and  sent  ashore  for  oranges  and  bana 
nas,  which  are  produced  abundantly  on  this  island. 
The  only  vessel  in  port  was  a  Danish  brig.  I  saw 
but  little  to  interest  me  at  Porto  Pray  a.  The  town 
is  filthy  and  dilapidated,  and  the  inhabitants  a  race 
of  poor,  half-starved,  mulatto  Portuguese,  living  un 
der  an  oppressive  form  of  government.  An  Amer 
ican  consul  is  stationed  at  this  place ;  and  the  most 


PORTO    PRAYA.  151 

pleasing  sight  I  saw  during  our  short  visit  was  the 
flag  of  the  United  States  waving  gallantly  in  the 
breeze.  There  are  associations  of  no  ordinary  in 
terest  connected  with  Porto  Pray  a,  as  the  theater  of 
a  naval  engagement  celebrated  in  the  annals  of  our 
naval  history.  I  regretted  that  I  had  not  stored  my 
mind  more  fully  with  the  particulars  of  that  affair 
previous  to  visiting  the  Island  of  St.  lago ;  but  dur 
ing  our  subsequent  cruise  I  procured  a  book  entitled 
"  Naval  Battles,"  in  which  there  was  an  animated 
description  of  it ;  and  of  course  it  rendered  the  de 
scription  extremely  vivid  to  have  visited  the  spot, 
and  become  familiar  with  the  scene  of  the  engage 
ment. 

The  boat  returned  in  the  evening  well  laden  with 
fruit,  and  all  hands  "  three  sheets  in  the  wind."  The 
most  uproarious  of  the  crew  was  Bully,  so  called 
from  his  pugnacious  propensities,  who  had  figured 
conspicuously  in  the  New  York  "  Flash"  as  a  "  La 
dy's  Fancy  Man  ;"  next  to  him  in  liveliness  was  Bill 
Mann,  a  fore-mast  hand,  who  had  officiated  in  his 
younger  days  as  a  gas-lighter  in  the  Bowery  Thea 
ter.  Bill,  to  use  his  own  words,  was  more  than  half 
"slewed;"  and  the  rest  of  the  crew,  three  Portu 
guese,  were  jabbering  about  the  sights  they  had  seen 
at  a  most  unintelligible  rate. 

I  must  here  state  that  Bill  Mann  was  a  very  dis 
tinguished  character  on  board  the  Styx.  In  person 
he  was  large  and  unwieldy,  and  possessed  of  great 
strength.  He  wore  a  pair  of  tremendous  black  whis- 


152  BILL    MANN. 

kers,  which  he  regarded  as  the  greatest  ornament  to 
the  human  face  divine ;  and  altogether  had  the  regu^ 
Jar  "  damn-my^eyes"  look  of  an  old  salt.  Bill  was 
unquestionably  a  hero,  if  great  deeds  entitle  any  man 
to  that  distinction.  According  to  his  own  account, 
he  had  killed  more  whales,  broken  more  girls'  hearts, 
whipped  more  men,  been  drunk  oftener,  and  pushed 
his  way  through  more  perils,  frolics,  pleasures,  pains, 
and  general  vicissitudes  of  fortune  than  any  man  in 
the  known  world.  Nevertheless,  Bill  was  a  great 
grumbler.  He  had  the  happy  knack  of  seeing  through 
every  thing  at  a  glance,  and  making  evil  omens  out 
of  the  smallest  trifles.  If  a  cloud  appeared  on  the 
horizon,  we  were  going  to  have  "  tough  weather,  and, 
like  as  not,  the  blamed  old  spars  wouldn't  stand  it, 
and  we'd  fetch  up  in  Davy  Jones's  locker/'  He  al 
ways  "  knew  what  he  was  about."  If  he  fell  over  a 
handspike  and  bruised  his  shins,  he  "  knew  what  he 
was  about."  Nay,  for  that  matter,  he  could  foretell 
every  accident  about  to  happen  ;  but,  unfortunately, 
seldom  made  particular  reference  to  any  special  ac 
cident  until  after  it  did  happen.  Whenever  any  of 
the  crew  broke  a  looking-glass,  he  had  fifty  tragical 
stones  to  relate  in  proof  of  his  position  that  it  was  a 
sure  omen  of  bad  luck.  He  was  always  "  growling ;" 
from  morning  till  night  he  had  something  to  growl 
at.  If  he  had  to  do  a  job  on  the  rigging,  he  went  at 
it  growling ;  he  growled  his  way  aloft  twice  a  day ; 
growled  at  the  wheel ;  growled  in  the  forecastle ; 
growled  in  his  sleep ;  and,  although  he  could  tell 


BILL    MANN.  153 

some  amusing  stories,  he  invariably  wound  up  with 
a  growl.  Bill  was  every  thing  under  the  sun :  a 
sailor,  an  actor,  a  musician,  a  pugilist ;  and,  in  short, 
considered  himself  an  adept  in  seamanship,  literature, 
politics,  law,  and  every  other  pursuit  that  engages  the 
attention  of  man.  In  all  forecastle  disputes  touching 
questions  in  art,  science,  or  literature,  Bill  was  the 
great  Sir  Oracle,  and  clinched  every  argument  by  the 
assertion,  that  "  there  was  nothing  green  in  the  corner 
of  his  eye;  he  knew  what  he  was  about."  His 
songs — for  he  could  sing  too — were  never  less  than 
sixteen  or  eighteen  verses.  Every  thing  he  did  bore 
the  peculiar  stamp  of  his  genius.  Nothing  pleased 
him ;  nothing  went  as  he  had  seen  things  go.  His 
last  voyage  was  pleasant  and  prosperous;  the  last 
ship  was  a  good  sailer;  the  last  crew  were  fine, 
clever  fellows ;  the  last  forecastle  wasn't  a  hog-pen. 
He  was  continually  cursing  his  "top-lights"  if  it 
wouldn't  be  a  source  of  infinite  satisfaction  to  him 
if  this  crazy  old  tub  of  a  barque  would  sink,  spars, 
tackling,  try-works,  and  all,  and  go  chock  to  the  bot 
tom.  He  had  seen  salt  water  before  ;  nobody  could 
tell  him  about  salt  water;  he  knew  what  a  sailor's 
life  was  as  well  as  any  man ;  but  he  had  never  seen 
such  doings  aboard  any  other  ship.  He'd  be  blowed 
if  he  wouldn't  like  to  see  the  studding-sails  dragging 
overboard,  the  top-masts  swinging  by  the  rigging,  the 
yards  braced  to  Halifax,  and  the  whole  bloody  ship's 
crew  drifting  on  to  a  lee  shore  in  the  cook's  galley. 
Divers  and  sundry  afflictions  might  befall  him  if  he 

U 


154"  "DISGUISED." 

wouldn't  sooner  be  rammed  and  jammed  into  the  fore- 
peak  of  purgatory  than  in  such  a  dirty,  lubberly,  tub- 
sided  blubber  hunter  as  the  barque  Styx. 

This  sort  of  grumbling  proceeded,  no  doubt,  more 
from  habit  than  real  discontent;  nevertheless,  such 
is  the  force  of  example,  Bill  had  scarcely  been  a 
month  on  board  when  all  hands  were  grumbling. 

But  I  had  almost  forgotten  the  larboard  boat  and 
its  crew  in  my  anxiety  to  give  some  idea  of  Bill 
Mann.  It  appeared  that  in  the  course  of  the  day, 
while  the  hands  were  frolicking  about  town,  Bill  con 
trived  to  sell  every  thing  he  had  about  him  for  rum. 
Now,  I  presume,  it  is  pretty  generally  known  that 
if  a  man  partakes  very  freely  of  any  kind  of  strong 
liquor,  it  sometimes  will  find  its  way  to  his  head,  and 
even  has  been  known  to  affect  the  knees.  At  all 
events,  it  produced  something  of  this  kind  on  Bill, 
who,  believing,  perhaps,  that 

"  Shallow  draughts  intoxicate  the  brain, 
But  drinking  deeply  sobers  it  again," 

was  finally  reduced  to  the  necessity  of  borrowing  a 
pair  of  drawers  from  Bully,  for  the  purpose  of  bar 
tering  for  a  fresh  supply.  The  consequence  was, 
that  they  both  got  down  to  the  landing  pretty  exten 
sively  "  disguised." 

When  the  boat  came  alongside,  the  cooper  and 
two  or  three  others  attempted  to  hoist  Bill  on  board, 
but,  with  some  show  of  indignation,  he  rejected  their 
assistance. 

"  Bless  my  soul !  I  know  what  I'm  about.  You 
must  think  I'm  drunk  !" 


BORROWED  DRAWERS  PAID  IN  BREECHES.  155 

"  Oh  no,"  replied  the  cooper ;  "  we  don't  think 
so." 

"  Well,  then,"  said  Bill,  scrambling  over  the  rail, 
"what  d'ye  mean?  My  name  is  Bill  Mann.  I'm 
son  of  old  Ed.  Mann,  sail-maker,  New  York." 

"No  doubt  of  it,  Bill." 

"  You  doubt  it  I  By  the  bloody  wars,  sir,  do  you 
doubt  my  word  \  I  allow  nobody  to  doubt  my  word. 
Do  you  doubt  it  1" 

"  Not  at  all." 

"Because,  if  you  do,  I'll  just  let  you  know  that 
I'm  Bill  Mann,  son  of  old  Ed.  Mann,  sail-maker,  New 
York.  Boy,  get  out  of  my  way  !" 

This  last  remark  was  addressed  to  Bully,  who, 
while  staggering  along  the  deck,  chanced  to  run  foul 
of  "Bill  Mann,  son  of  old  Ed.  Mann,  sail-maker, 
New  York."  A  quarrel  ensued,  and  the  story  of 
the  drawers  was  brought  up ;  which  so  offended 
Bill's  delicacy  of  feeling,  that  he  hauled  off  his  inex 
pressibles  and  flung  them  at  Bully,  shouting,  "  Take 
them  !  take  my  blasted  breeches  !  Don't  say  /  ain't 
able  to  pay  you  !  Don't  tell  me  about  what  /  bor 
rowed  from  you !  Take  them,  or,  by  the  bloody 
wars,  I'll  lick  you  !"  Upon  this,  Bully,  in  a  state  of 
lively  excitement,  ran  to  the  deck-pot,  and  picked 
up  a  billet  of  wood,  with  which  he  attempted  to 
knock  Bill  down.  The  "  old  salt,"  however,  was 
too  much  for  him,  and,  wresting  the  stick  from  Bul 
ly's  hands,  he  chased  the  "  fancy  man"  around  the 
decks,  seemingly  unconscious  of  his  comical  appear- 


156  UNDER    "BARE    POLES." 

ance,  minus  his  ducks.  The  mate,  seeing  the  fight, 
ran  between  the  combatants  and  put  a  stop  to  it. 

"What  disturbance  is  this  ?"  cried  Captain  A 

from  the  quarter-deck.  "  What's  all  this  about  ?" 

"  He  called  me  a  boy,  sir,"  replied  Bully. 

"And  he  is  a  boy,  captain;  I  could  lick  fifty  like 
him,"  suggested  Bill,  who  had  by  this  time  hauled 
up  in  the  waist,  under  "  bare  poles,"  and  stood  bal 
ancing  himself  in  front  of  the  captain. 

"  Go  forward  !     You're  both  drunk." 

"  Captain,  he  hurt  my  feelin's,"  blubbered  Bully, 
wiping  the  tears  from  his  eyes  with  .the  back  of  his 
hand.  "  He  did  r'ally  hurt  my  feelin's,  captain." 

"  Go  forward,  I  tell  you  !" 

"Yes,  sir,  I'll  go  forward,"  said  Bill;  "but,  cap 
tain,  bless  my  soul  and  body,  sir,  I'm  not  drunk !" 

"  You  are  drunk." 

"  No,  sir,  I'm  only  a  little  in  liquor.  It's  all  owing 
to  that  blamed  rotgut  I  drank  ashore." 

"  Go  forward,  I  tell  you." 

"  Captain,  my  name  is  Bill  Mann.  I'm  son  of 
old  Ed.  Mann,  sail-maker,  New  York." 

"  I  want  no  parley  with  you.  Go  forward,  and  I'll 
talk  to  you  about  your  name  when  you  get  sober." 

"  But,  captain,  upon  my  conscience,  sir,  I'm  not 
drunk." 

"  You  are  drunk." 

"  Put  me  in  irons — put  me  in  irons,  then.  I'm 
Bill  Mann,  son  of  old  Ed.  Mann,  sail-maker,  New 
York.  Put  me  in  irons,  Captain  A !" 


"NOT    KNOW    MY    FATHER?"  157 

"  I  won't  put  you  in  irons.  I'll  put  you  in  the 
rigging,  though,  and  keep  you  there  till  morning,  if 
you  don't  behave  yourself." 

"  Captain,  I  want  to  be  put  in  irons.  Will  you 
put  me  in  irons  ?  Will  you  do  me  the  favor,  sir,  to 
put  me  in  irons  V 

"  I  tell  you  once  for  all,  GO  FORRARD  !" 

"  Oh  yes,  sir ;  yes,  by  all  means,  captain.  I  know 
what  I'm  about,  sir.  Nobody  can  tell  me  my  duty. 
I've  smelt  salt  water  afore  to-day.  But  the  fact  is, 
sir,  I  don't  like  to  be  hurried,  d'ye  see.  Old  Ed. 
Mann  used  to  say  to  me,  *  Billy,  my  son,  don't  you 
never  hurry  yourself;  the  more  hurry  the  worse 
speed,  Billy.'  There's  no  mistake,  captain,  but  what 
he  was  a  rum  old  codger.  It's  surprisin'  you  don't 
know  him.  He  used  to  work  down  by  the  South 
Wharf,  and  you  couldn't  but  tell  him  by  his  pigtail ; 
that  'ere  pigtail  was  half  a  fathom  long.  I'm  blowed 
if  I  don't  believe  you  know  him.  Say,  captain, 
don't  you,  sir  f ' 

"  Silence  !"  thundered  the  captain,  perfectly  aghast 
at  Bill's  audacity.  "  If  you  don't  mind  me  when  I 
speak  to  you,  I'll  skin  your  back !" 

"No  you  won't,  sir,"  growled  Bill.  "I  ain't  a 
man  wot's  a  goin'  to  be  skinned,  no  how.  I  won't 
suffer  no  captain  to  skin  me  as  long  as  my  name's 
Bill  Mann,  son  of  old  Ed.— " 

"  Not  another  word  !"  roared  the  captain. 

Bill  evidently  began  to  get  alarmed,  and,  mutter 
ing  something  about  being  "  skinned,"  he  staggered 


158  THEATRICALS    AT    SEA. 

along  to  the  forecastle,  where,  with  some  difficulty, 
we  lowered  him  down  the  ladder.  By  this  time  the 
rum  began  to  do  its  work  in  earnest ;  he  was  raving 
like  a  madman.  Four  or  five  of  the  Portuguese  had 
to  hold  him  down  on  a  chest.  His  old  theatrical 
recollections  coming  upon  him,  he  fancied  he  was 
Julius  Caesar,  about  to  be  murdered  in  the  senate. 

"  I'm  a  Roman,  damn  my  eyes  if  I  ain't !  Give 
me  a  knife  !  I'll  cut  my  throat !  I'll  die  like  a  Ro 
man  !  Nobody  ain't  a  goin'  to  skin  me.  I'm  Julius 
Caesar !  Bloody  my  eyes,  I'm  Julius  Caesar  !" 

"  You  Bill !  Bill  Mann,"  cried  Charlie,  «  are  you 
crazy  ?  What  the  devil  are  you  raving  about  1" 

"  Halloo  !  is  that  you,  Metellus  ?  You  in  this 
bloody  conspiracy  too  1  Strike,  my  boy,  strike  !  I'll 
die  like  a  Roman  !  I  told  California  so  ashore, 
and  she  turned  black  in  the  face.  Strike !  stick 
your  knife  into  my  windpipe  ! 

44  4 Cowards  die  many  times  before  their  deaths; 
The  waliant  never  taste  of  death  but  once. 
Of  all  the  wonders  that  I  yet  have  hearn  tell  on, 
It  seems  to  me  most  strange  that  men  should  fear ; 
Seeing  as  how  death,  a  necessaiy  end — ' 

Ugh  !     Oh,  that  Portugee  liquor  !" 

"  Come,  come,  Bill,"  said  one  of  the  Portuguese, 
catching  him  in  his  arms,  and  endeavoring  to  thrust 
him  into  his  bunk,  "  turn  in ;  you're  out  of  your 
senses." 

"  Is  that  you,  Cimber?  Give  me  a  knife,  Brutus  !" 
roared  Bill,  in  a  phrensy.  "Let  me  go, I  say  ! 


"  DIE    LIKE    A    ROMAN."  159 

u  '  I  must  prevent  thee,  Cimber. 
These  couchings  and  these  lowly  courtesies 
Might  fire  the  blood  of  ordinary  men — '  [hiccough] 

but, !  if  you  don't  come  out  of  the  little  end 

of  the  horn  if  you  fool  with  me  [hiccough]. 

•' '  I  spurn  thee  like  a  fice  dog !  get  out  of  my  way  ! 
Know  Caesar  doth  not  wrong ;  nor  without  cause 
Will  he  be  satisfied.' 

I'm  Julius  Ccesar,  son  of  old  Ed.  Mann,  sail-maker, 
New  York.  I'm  a  Roman,  second  lamp-lighter  in 
the  Bowery  Theater.  Don't  you  lay  a  hand  on 
me — not  one  of  you.  I  know  what  I'm  about.  Hur 
rah  !  I'm  Julius  Caesar !" 

"  No,  Bill,"  said  one  of  the  Portuguese,  "you  no 
July  Sneezer." 

"  I  am  !  Don't  slack-jaw  me,  you  base-born  hind. 
Oh,  Brutus,  Brutus,  will  you  let  'em  murder  me  ? 
Give  me  a  knife  !  I'll  die  like  a  Roman, 

"  '  Of  whose  true  fixed  and  resting  quality 
There  is  no  fellow  in  the  firmament!' " 

And  with  this  Bill  rolled  over,  and  lay  motionless 
on  his  chest.  Several  of  the  stoutest  in  the  forecas 
tle  now  got  hold  of  him,  and  attempted  to  roll  him 
into  his  bunk. 

"  Avast,  there  !"  grunted  Bill ;  "  hands  off,  you 
bloody  harpies ! 

"  '  Hence  !  wilt  thou  lift  up  Olympus  !' 

I'll  settle  your  hash  if  you  don't  let  me  be.  Who's 
got  a  knife  ?  I'll  kill  you  all  single-handed  !  I'll  cut 
my  throat,  I  will !" 

All  this  time  I  was  an  unconcerned  spectator  of 


160  "  ET    TU    BRUTE?" 

Bill's  little  peculiarities ;  but,  as  he  began  to  wax 
rather  desperate,  I  advised  him  to  turn  in.  He 
stared  at  me  a  moment  as  if  he  could  not  believe  his 
eyes ;  then,  bursting  into  a  theatrical  fit  of  despair, 
exclaimed, 

"  Et  tu  Brute  ?  Well,  I'm  blowed  if  I  ever  thought 
that  of  you  !  Fall,  Caesar,  fall !  Gentlemen  and 
ladies,  Caesar's  dead !  please  consider  him  defunct 
from  this  moment !  I'll  cut  my  throat !  I'm  nobody ! 
No  !  I  ain't — nobody  at  all !  I  am  Julius  Caesar — a 
regular-built  Julius  Caesar !  A  bloody  old  Roman, 
chock  up  to  the  royals,  blast  my  top-lights  if  1 
ain't !" 

It  was  useless  to  argue  with  Bill  on  the  subject 
of  his  illustrious  blood ;  so  I  turned  in,  and  endeavored 
to  get  asleep.  I  had  scarcely  entered  the  land  of 
dreams,  when  I  was  awakened  by  a  noise  like  the 
growling  of  a  bear ;  and,  upon  listening  attentively, 
I  heard  Bill's  voice,  half-smothered  under  the  blank 
et,  endeavoring  to  articulate, 

"  Who  says  I  ain't  a  Roman  ?  Who  says  I  ain't 
Julius  Caesar  \  Damme,  sir,  that's  the  rub  !  Who 
says  I  ain't  Julius  Caesar  ?" 

"  Nobody,  Bill ;  go  to  sleep,"  growled  a  voice  from 
the  opposite  side  of  the  forecastle. 

"  Me  sleep !"  retorted  Bill,  attempting  to  rise. 
"  Who  says  I  ain't  Julius  Caesar  ?  You've  wraked 
up  the  wrong  passenger,  old  fellow  !  I'm  a  tee-total, 
everlasting,  bloody  Roman  myself,  1  am  !" 

As  there  was  no  possible  way  of  convincing  Bill 


BOUNTY    FOR    WHALES.  161 

that  he  was  not  a  Roman,  we  left  him  to  the  enjoy 
ment  of  his  private  personal  opinion,  with  the  gen 
eral  suggestion  that,  being  a  Roman,  he  should  mag 
nanimously  suffer  his  fellow-countrymen  to  sleep. 

At  9  P.M.  we  were  steering  south-southeast  un 
der  fore-topmast  and  lower  studding-sails  for  the  In 
dian  Ocean. 

It  is  usual  in  whalers  to  get  up  a  bounty,  by  way 
of  encouragement  to  the  look-outs  aloft.  This 
bounty  is  sometimes  at  the  expense  of  the  owners, 
who  offer  it  with  a  view  to  promote  vigilance  on  the 
part  of  the  crew,  that  the  voyage  may  be  as  short 
and  profitable  as  possible.  Five  or  ten  dollars  re 
ward  for  a  whale  to  be  "  raised"  by  any  given  time 
sharpens  the  sight  of  the  men  at  the  mast-head 
amazingly.  Whalemen,  however  prodigal  of  their 
earnings  ashore,  are  very  different  at  sea.  The  de 
sire  to  make  a  good  voyage  seems  to  be  the  main 
spring  of  all  their  actions.  With  what  reckless 
liberality  the  proceeds  of  their  industry  are  spent 
when  they  arrive  in  port  I  need  not  say,  for  the 
open-hearted  character  of  Jack  ashore  is  known  all 
over  the  world.  From  the  close  calculations  which 
they  make  at  sea,  one  would  think  they  were  the 
most  penurious  race  of  men  in  existence ;  but  such 
is  far  from  being  the  case. 

In  lieu  of  any  bounty  from  the  captain  or  owners, 
the  crew  frequently  get  up  a  system  of  reward  on 
their  own  account.  This  plan  is  often  followed  by 

the  best  results.      It  inspires  a  spirit  of  emulation 

X 


162  "RAISING  OIL." 

among  them  that  gives  rise  to  great  activity  and 
vigilance. 

I  present  as  a  specimen  a  copy  of  a  paper  signed 
by  the  crew : 

"  The  undersigned,  hands  before  the  mast,  agree 
to  pay  the  sum  affixed  to  our  respective  names,  on 
every  barrel  of  oil  raised  by  a  subscriber,  to  said 
subscriber ;  the  oil  to  be  measured  as  stowed  down." 

This  may  require  a  few  explanatory  remarks.  In 
the  first  place,  to  "  raise  oil"  is  an  expression  pecu 
liar  to  whalemen.  The  man  at  the  mast-head,  who 
is  the  first  to  discover  a  whale,  "  raises  oil"  provided 
the  whale  be  taken.  Tf  a  subscriber  raise  a  hundred 
barrels  of  oil,  according  to  the  agreement  (two  cents 
a  barrel  being  the  sum  affixed  to  each  signature),  he 
is  entitled  to  two  dollars  from  each  of  the  other  sub 
scribers,  which,  allowing  that  there  are  ten  subscrib 
ers  besides  himself,  makes  twenty  dollars.  By  this 
arrangement  he  may  earn  sufficient  for  spending 
money  during  the  voyage.  The  chances  are  equal. 
The  most  vigilant  subscriber  makes  the  most  money, 
and  the  most  careless  loses  most.  It  is  customary 
to  make  the  sums  affixed  to  each  signature  propor 
tionate  to  the  lay  of  the  subscriber :  a  green  hand 
paying  a  cent  on  every  barrel,  an  ordinary  seaman 
a  cent  and  a  half,  and  an  able  seaman  two  cents,  or 
whatever  rate  may  be  agreed  upon.  Those  who  do 
not  choose  to  subscribe  have,  of  course,  nothing  to 
do  with  it ;  but  it  is  generally  the  case  that  this  class 
is  composed  of  the  most  worthless  of  the  crew. 


SUNRISE    WITHIN    THE    TROPICS.  163 

Consequently,  there  is  a  constant  competition  among 
the  vigilant  portion  of  the  crew;  and  if  there  is  little 
success,  it  is  not  owing  to  carelessness  or  neglect  of 
duty  on  their  part.  Those  who  are  desirous  of  pro 
motion  can  not  better  evince  their  claims  than  by 
activity  and  vigilance  in  this  branch  of  the  business; 
for  as  it  is  a  primary  object  in  whaling  to  see  whales 
when  they  appear  above  the  surface  of  the  water, 
so  it  is  the  chief  qualification  of  a  good  whaleman 
to  understand  thoroughly  the  different  species  of 
whales,  and  how  to  distinguish  them. 

November  2d. — Since  we  entered  the  tropics  1 
have  frequently  enjoyed  the  beauties  of  a  sunrise  at 
sea,  which  I  think  are  more  gorgeous  in  these  lati 
tudes  than  farther  north  or  south.  I  never  saw  any 
thing  to  compare  with  the  splendors  of  the  scene 
which  I  witnessed  this  morning.  We  appeared  to 
float  in  an  immense  arena,  encircled  by  ranges  of 
hills  of  the  most  magnificent  and  brilliant  colors. 
The  sea  wras  perfectly  calm ;  and  as  the  sun  burst 
through  from  the  east,  gilding  the  edges  of  this 
mighty  inclosure  with  the  richest  hues,  such  a  com 
bination  of  lights  and  shades  was  visible  as  to  form 
a  world  of  visionary  splendor  rather  than  any  thing 
earthly  :  the  clouds  ever  changing  into  the  most  fan 
tastic  and  beautiful  forms ;  sometimes  assuming  the 
appearance  of  a  group  of  fairy  islands,  resplendent 
with  cities  and  palaces  of  gold,  and  at  others  bear 
ing  a  strong  resemblance  to  a  bold,  rugged  chain  of 
mountains  capped  with  snow,  glancing  brilliantly  in 


164      CONVICT  VESSEL  FOR  VAN  DIEMEN?S  LAND 

the  sunbeams.     But  such  sights  as  this  are  not  to 
be  described  ;  they  must  be  seen. 

"  Sail  ho  !"  was  the  cheering  cry  from  the  man  at 
the  mast-head.  This  was  the  first  vessel  we  had 
seen  for  eight  or  ten  days.  She  proved  to  be  a  large 
English  barque,  and  continued  to  near  us,  with  a 
very  light  breeze,  till  toward  evening,  when  we  low 
ered  a  boat  and  boarded  her.  A  band  of  musicians, 
seated  on  a  platform  in  the  waist,  welcomed  us  by 
striking  up  a  lively  air.  The  stranger  was  a  con 
vict  vessel,  bound  for  Van  Diemen's  Land,  with  a 
great  number  of  convicts  and  emigrants  on  board. 
Some  of  the  prisoners  were  chained  on  deck,  others 
standing  in  platoons  under  a  strong  guard.  I  never 
saw  such  a  gang  of  ill-looking,  miserable  beings  in 
my  life  as  these  poor  fellows.  Here  and  there  I 
thought  I  could  distinguish  a  prisoner  less  hardened 
in  guilt  than  his  comrades ;  some  poor  wretch  who 
had  seen  better  times,  but  now  banished  from  the 
home  of  his  childhood ;  an  outcast,  driven  from  civ 
ilized  society,  doomed  to  atone  for  his  offense  by 
years  of  exile  and  servitude  in  a  land  of  vagrants 
and  criminals.  What  a  fate  !  It  was  sickening  to 
see  so  many  human  beings  chained  together  like 
dogs,  and  ichite  men  too  !  What  a  school  of  refor 
mation  for  children  of  twelve  or  fourteen  years  of 
age !  I  saw  boys  chained  in  groups,  who  really  did 
not  seem  old  enough  to  know  what  they  were  pun 
ished  for ;  and  yet  these  children,  who,  perhaps,  had 
been  driven  by  the  cravings  of  nature  to  commit  the 


APPROACH    THE    EQUATOR.  165 

acts  for  which  they  were  now  to  make  so  awful  an 
atonement,  were  to  be  lost  forever ! 

The  sun  was  just  setting  as  we  took  our  depart 
ure.  I  felt,  after  what  I  had  seen,  that  my  situation 
was  not  so  Bad  as  theirs,  after  all ;  and  when  I  look 
ed  upon  our  crazy  little  barque,  rough  and  unsightly 
as  she  was  in  comparison  with  the  splendid  speci 
men  of  naval  architecture  I  had  just  seen,  I  really 
felt  something  akin  to  a  kindly  esteem  for  her. 


CHAPTER  XL 

Approach  the  Equator. — Sketch  of  an  old  Whaleman. — John  Tabor's 
Ride. — Sketches  of  the  Crew. — Routine  of  Duty. — Standing  Mast 
heads. — Ship-keeping. — Signals. 

THE  reader  will  now  imagine  us  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  equator,  with  little  to  relieve  the  monotony  of 
our  voyage.  To  enter  into  a  detail  of  every  calm, 
squall,  rain,  or  sunrise,  would  be  tedious  and  unin 
teresting.  I  deem  this,  therefore,  a  suitable  place  to 
give  a  sketch  of  our  crew,  and  to  enter  more  fully 
into  our  domestic  economy  on  board  the  Styx. 

I  have  alluded  already  to  Tabor,  the  harpooneers- 
man  of  the  waist  boat,  as  an  experienced  whaleman ; 
but  I  must  now  speak  of  him  as  a  man  "  whose  like 
I  ne'er  shall  look  upon  again." 

John  Tabor,  of  the  old  Tabor  family,  celebrated 


166  JOHN    TABOR. 

for  their  daring  enterprise  and  success  in  the  whale 
fishery,  was  a  hardy,  stout-built  little  fellow,  who  had 
spent  twenty  years  of  his  life  at  sea,  and  had  seen  a 
great  deal  of  the  world,  and  experienced  many  hard 
rubs  in  the  whaling  business.  There  was  scarcely 
an  island  in  the  Pacific  Ocean  that  he  had  not  visit 
ed  ;  and  few  there  were  whose  minds  were  better 
stored  with  plain,  matter-of-fact  knowledge  than 
John's.  He  had  sailed  with  all  sorts  of  captains, 
and  witnessed  many  scenes  of  cruelty  and  tyranny. 
He  had  endured  every  species  of  hardship,  and  he 
bore  upon  his  face  and  body  scars  which  he  had  re 
ceived  in  various  encounters.  Withal,  Tabor  was 
a  very  primitive  character.  He  had  all  the  noble 
generosity  and  daring  of  a  real  sailor — all  those  blunt, 
manly  qualities  which  characterize  the  genuine  son 
of  Neptune — with  the  credulity  and  simplicity  of  a 
child.  His  voyages  had  all  been  successful  enough, 
but  he  had  been  cheated  out  of  his  hard  earnings 
by  crafty  and  designing  owners ;  and  when  he  did 
chance  to  receive  his  earnings  after  a  long  voyage, 
there  were  land-sharks  enough  ready  to  pounce  upon 
them.  I  was  told  of  an  instance  of  Tabor's  gener 
osity,  which  T  think  deserves  to  be  recorded.  He  had 
been  on  a  long  and  disagreeable  voyage,  with  a  cap 
tain  who  had  maltreated  and  abused  the  whole  crew. 
When  the  vessel  arrived  at  the  port  from  which  she 
had  sailed,  he  was  paid  off  and  discharged.  The 
total  amount  of  his  earnings,  after  subtraction  for  his 
outfit,  was  a  hundred  and  fifty  dollars.  With  this 


SAILOR    GENEROSITY.  167 

he  set  off  in  search  of  adventure,  on  "  a  cruize  up 
town."  It  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that  he  soon 
came  to  an  anchor  in  one  of  those  dens  of  infamy 
where  sailors  generally  dispose  of  their  earnings. 
Here  he  met  with  a  young  girl  who  was  apparently 
a  novice  in  the  ways  of  vice.  Upon  inquiry  into 
her  history,  he  learned  that  she  was  from  a  distant 
part  of  the  country,  where  her  parents  resided,  and 
that  she  had  been  seduced  by  the  base  schemes  of  a 
villain  in  the  garb  of  a  gentleman.  She  told  the 
tale  of  her  downfall  with  a  simplicity  and  pathos  that 
melted  the  heart  of  the  rough  sailor.  He  inquired 
why  she  did  not  return  to  the  roof  of  her  parents. 
Alas  !  she  was  not  able.  It  was  now  too  late :  the 
mistress  of  the  house  took  all  she  got  from  her ;  and 
though  she  was  willing  to  return,  and  knew  she 
would  be  received  with  open  arms,  she  could  not  think 
of  writing  home.  They  were  ignorant  there  of  all 
her  guilt.  Tabor  dashed  a  tear  from  his  eyes,  and 
hauling  out  the  sum  he  had  so  well  earned,  exclaimed, 
"  I'm  blowed  if  you  shan't  go  home  !  Go  now,  and 
be  a  good  girl !"  and  without  waiting  to  hear  her 
expressions  of  gratitude,  he  left  the  house  a  pennyless 
wanderer.  This  act  of  genuine  benevolence  com 
pelled  him  to  ship  immediately  on  another  voyage. 
He  never  heard  of  the  girl  after  that ;  and  from  that 
day  to  this  he  bears  the  reputation,  among  his  circle 
of  acquaintances  at  home,  of  being  a  worthless  spend 
thrift,  who  could  foolishly  throw  away  all  his  earn 
ings  in  a  few  days  in  a  house  of  ill  fame. 


168  TABOR'S  FAILING. 

Every  man  has  his  failing :  John  Tabor  had  his. 
It  assumed  the  shape  of  a  large  bottle  of  rum  the  day 
he  sailed  from  New  Bedford.  There  was  no  diffi 
culty  in  smuggling  it  aboard ;  but  how  to  get  at  it 
when  he  succeeded  in  that,  was  the  main  question. 
It  was  impossible  to  "  take  a  swig"  in  the  cabin  with 
out  attracting  the  vigilant  eyes  of  the  captain  and  of 
ficers  ;  so  Tabor  marked  it  "  camphor,"  and  commit 
ted  it  to  the  safe-keeping  of  a  friend  in  the  forecastle. 
Tabor's  sly  visits  to  the  forecastle  for  several  days 
after  we  left  port  were  noticed  by  the  officers,  who, 
upon  making  inquiries,  were  given  to  understand  that 
he  was  afflicted  with  an  "internal  commotion"  which 
required  constant  doses  of  "  camphor,"  a  medicine 
pronounced  indispensable  by  his  physician.  The 
fact  was,  Tabor  had  been  on  a  long  spree  previous 
to  signing  the  ship's  articles ;  and  he  had  provided 
himself  with  the  aforesaid  bottle  of  strong  medicine 
that  he  might  gradually  taper  off  to  a  perfect  state 
of  sobriety.  Unfortunately,  he  tapered  on  instead  of 
off;  and  for  three  or  four  days  he  could  hardly  stand 
an  hour  on  deck  without  rolling  into  the  lee  scup 
pers.  The  captain  did  not  suspect  the  cause ;  so 
it  remained  unknown  except  in  the  forecastle,  where 
Tabor  was  a  general  favorite.  In  due  course  of 
time,  when  his  bottle  of  rum,  and  another  which  he 
had  purchased  from  one  of  the  crew,  gave  out,  there 
was  a  most  extraordinary  change  in  his  face.  It 
became  nearly  twice  its  original  length,  and  looked 
very  "  pale  about  the  gills,"  as  some  of  the  crew  fa- 


TABOR'S  APPARITION.  169 

cetiously  observed.  His  nose,  however,  retained  its 
fiery  and  conspicuous  appearance,  and  there  grew 
upon  the  extremity  of  it  a  great  variety  of  luminous 
carbuncles,  resembling  a  choice  nosegay  of  highly 
colored  flowers.  About  this  period,  too,  it  was  ob 
served  that  he  rolled  to  leeward  less  frequently  than 
formerly;  but  he  peeped  from  behind  his  extensive 
whiskers,  with  a  solemn  and  cadaverous  look  that 
told  a  tale  of  woe.  There  was  no  denying  that  he 
had  the  horrors  !  the  blue  horrors  first,  and  then  the 
black  horrors,  and,  lastly,  the  concentrated  essence 
of  both,  which  is  decidedly  a  very  unpleasant  and 
alarming  species  of  complaint.  While  in  this  state, 
he  was  continually  beset  by  the  vision  of  an  old  man 
with  a  long  white  beard,  who  seemed  to  entertain 
various  murderous  designs  upon  his  person.  The 
first  time  this  interesting  individual  attempted  to  ac 
complish  his  purpose,  Tabor  was  in  his  bunk  in  the 
cabin.  It  was  my  trick  at  the  wheel ;  and  I  had 
been  for  some  time  enjoying  a  melancholy  medita 
tion,  when  I  was  startled  by  the  apparition  of  a  tre 
mendous  pair  of  whiskers,  just  visible  over  the  com 
panion-way.  Then  came  the  body  and  legs  in  a 
state  of  utter  nudity.  I  soon  discovered  that  it  was 
Tabor.  His  eyes  were  starting  from  their  sockets 
and  his  mouth  wide  open.  For  a  few  moments  he 
stood  gazing  wildly  toward  the  taffrail. 

"What's  the  matter,  Tabor?"  said  I. 

"  Matter  enough,"  replied  Tabor,  rubbing  his  eyes 
as  if  he  had  just  been  aroused  from  a  disagreeable 

Y 


170  THE    YARN. 

sleep ;  and  seating  himself  on  a  coil  of  rope  by  the 
wheel,  he  gave  me  a  very  amusing  narrative  of  his 
acquaintance  with  the  spectral  individual  who  caused 
him  so  much  uneasiness. 

JOHN  TABOR'S  RIDE. 

"  I  was  cruising  some  years  ago,"  he  began,  "  on 
the  southern  coast  of  Africa.  The  vessel  in  which 
I  was  at  the  time  had  been  out  for  a  long  time,  and 
many  of  the  crew  were  on  the  sick-list.  I  had  smug 
gled  on  board  a  large  quantity  of  liquor,  which  I  had 
made  use  of  pretty  freely  while  it  lasted.  Finding 
the  crew  in  so  helpless  a  condition,  the  captain  put 
into  Algoa  Bay,  where  we  had  a  temporary  hospital 
erected  for  the  benefit  of  the  sick.  I  saw  that  they 
led  a  very  easy  life,  and  soon  managed  to  get  on  the 
sick-list  myself.  As  soon  as  I  got  ashore  I  procured 
a  fresh  supply  of  liquor  from  some  of  the  English  set 
tlers  there,  and  in  about  a  week  I  was  laid  up  with  a 
fever  in  consequence  of  my  deep  potations.  One 
night,  while  I  lay  in  the  hospital  burning  with  this 
dreadful  disease,  I  felt  an  unusual  sensation  steal 
over  me.  My  blood  danced  through  my  veins.  I 
sprang  up  from  my  catanda  as  strong  as  a  lion.  I 
thought  I  never  was  better  in  my  life,  and  I  wonder 
ed  how  it  was  I  had  so  long  been  deceived  as  to  my 
disease.  A  thrilling  desire  to  exert  myself  came  over 
me.  I  would  have  given  worlds  to  contend  with 
some  giant.  It  seemed  to  me  1  could  tear  him  to 
pieces,  as  a  wolf  would  tear  a  lamb.  Elated  with  the 


TABOR'S  YARN.  171  l 

idea  of  my  infinite  power,  I  rushed  out  and  ran  to 
ward  the  beach,  hoping  to  meet  a  stray  elephant  or 
hippopotamus  on  the  way,  that  I  might  pitch  him 
into  the  sea ;  but,  very  fortunately,  I  saw  none.  It 
was  a  calm,  still  night.  There  was  scarcely  a  ripple 
on  the  bay.  I  put  my  ear  to  the  sand  to  listen ;  for 
I  thought  I  heard  the  breaches  of  a  whale.  I  wait- 
fcd  for  a  repetition  of  the  sounds,  scarcely  daring  to 
breathe,  lest  I  should  miss  them.  Not  a  murmur,  ex 
cept  the  low  heaving  of  the  swell  upon  the  beach, 
broke  the  stillness  of  the  night.  I  was  suddenly  star 
tled  by  a  voice  close  behind  me,  shouting,  '  There 
she  breaches  !'  and  jumping  up,  I  saw,  standing 
within  a  few  yards  of  me,  such  a  figure  as  I  shall 
never  forget,  even  if  not  occasionally  reminded  of 
its  existence,  as  I  was  to-night.  The  first  thing  I? 
could  discern  was  a  beard,  hanging  down  from  the 
chin  of  the  owner  in  strings  like  rope  yarns.  It  had 
probably  once  been  white,  but  now  it  was  discolored 
with  whale-gurry  and  tar.  The  old  fellow  was  not 
more  than  five  feet  high.  He  carried  a  hump  on  his 
shoulders  of  prodigious  dimensions ;  but,  notwith 
standing  his  apparent  great  age,  which  must  have 
been  over  a  hundred  years,  he  seemed  as  spry  and 
active  as  a  mokak.  His  dress  consisted  of  a  tremen-  • 
dous  sou-wester,  a  greasy  duck  jacket,  and  a  pair  of 
well-tarred  trowsers,  something  the  worse  for  the 
wear.  In  one  hand  he  carried  a  harpoon ;  in  the 
other  a  coil  of  short  warp.  I  felt  very  odd,  I  assure 
you,  at  the  sudden  apparition  of  such  a  venerable 


172  TABOR'S  YARN. 

whaleman.  As  I  gazed  upon  him,  he  raised  his  fin 
ger  in  a  mysterious  and  solemn  manner,  and  pointed 
toward  the  offing.  I  looked,  and  saw  a  large  whale 
sporting  on  the  surface  of  the  water.  The  boats 
were  lying  upon  the  beach.  He  turned  his  eyes 
meaningly  toward  the  nearest.  I  trembled  all  over; 
for  I  never  experienced  such  strange  sensations  as  I 
did  then. 

" '  Shall  we  go  f  said  he. 

" '  As  you  say/  I  replied. 

" '  You  are  a  good  whaleman,  I  suppose  1  Have 
you  ever  killed  your  whale  at  a  fifteen-fathom  dart  T 

"  I  replied  in  the  affirmative. 

" '  Very  well/  said  he,  '  you'll  do.' 

"And  without  more  delay,  we  lanched  the  boat 
and  pushed  off.  It  was  a  wild  whale-chase,  that ! 
We  pulled  and  tugged  for  upward  of  an  hour.  At 
last  we  came  upon  the  whale,  just  as  he  rose  for  the 
second  time.  I  sprang  to  the  bow,  for  I  wanted  to 
have  the  first  iron  into  him. 

"  'Back  from  that !'  said  the  old  whaleman,  sternly. 

"  *  It's  my  chance/  I  replied. 

"  '  Back,  I  tell  you!  I'll  strike  that  whale  !' 

"  There  was  something  in  his  voice  that  inspired 
me  with  awe,  and  I  gave  way  to  him.  The  whale 
was  four  good  darts  off;  but  the  old  man's  strength 
was  supernatural,  and  his  aim  unerring.  The  har 
poon  struck  exactly  where  it  was  pointed,  just  back 
of  the  head. 

"'Now  for  a  ride!'  cried  the  old  man;  and  his 


TABORS    YARN.  »  175 

features  brightened  up,  and  his  eyes  glared  strangely. 
'Jump  on,  John  Tabor,  jump  on  !'  said  he. 

"  '  How  do  you  mean  V  said  I ;  for  although  I  had 
killed  whales,  and  eat  of  them  too,  such  an  idea  as 
that  of  riding  a  whale-back  never  before  entered  my 
mind. 

"  '  Jump  on,  I  say,  jump  on,  John  Tabor !'  he  re 
peated,  sternly. 

" '  Damme  if  I  do !'  said  I,  and  my  hair  began  to 
stand  on  end. 

" '  You  must  r  shouted  the  old  whaleman. 

" '  But  I  won't !'  said  I,  resolutely. 

" '  Won't  you  T  and  with  that  he  seized  me  in  his 
arms,  and,  making  a  desperate  spring,  reached  the 
whale's  back  and  drove  the  boat  adrift.  He  then 
set  me  down,  and  bade  me  hold  on  to  the  seat  of 
his  ducks,  while  he  made  sure  his  own  fastening  by  a 
good  grip  of  the  iron  pole.  With  the  other  hand  he 
drew  from  his  pocket  a  quid  of  tobacco  and  rammed 
it  into  his  mouth ;  after  which  he  began  to  hum  an 
old  song.  Feeling  something  rather  uncommon  on 
his  back,  the  whale  set  off  with  the  speed  of  light 
ning,  whizzing  along  as  if  all  the  whalers  in  the  Pa 
cific  were  after  him. 

"'Go  it!'  said  the  old  man,  and  his  eyes  flashed 
with  a  supernatural  brilliancy.  '  Hold  fast,  John 
Tabor !  stick  on  like  grim  Death  !' 

"'What  the  devil  kind  of  a  wild-goose  chase  is 
this  T  said  I,  shivering  with  fear  and  cold ;  for  the 
spray  came  dashing  over  us  in  oceans. 


176  TABOR'S  YARN. 

"  '  Patience  !'  rejoined  the  old  man :  '  you'll  see 
presently.'  Away  we  went,  leaving  a  wake  behind 
us  for  miles.  The  land  became  more  and  more  in 
distinct.  We  lost  sight  of  it  entirely.  We  were  on 
the  broad  ocean. 

"  4  On  !  on  !  Stick  to  me,  John  Tabor  !'  shouted 
the  old  man,  with  a  grin  of  infernal  ecstasy. 

"  «  But  where  are  you  bound  T  said  I.  '  Damme  if 
this  don't  beat  all  the  crafts  I  ever  shipped  in !'  and 
my  teeth  chattered  as  if  I  had  an  ague. 

"  '  Belay  your  jaw-tackle,  John  Tabor  !  Keep 
your  main  hatch  closed,  and  hold  on.  Go  it !  go  it, 
old  sperm !' 

"  Away  we  dashed,  bounding  from  wave  to  wave 
like  a  streak  of  pigtail  lightning.  Whiz  !  whiz  !  we 
flew  through  the  sea.  I  never  saw  the  like.  At  this 
rate  we  traveled  till  daylight,  when  the  old  man  sang 
out,  'Land  ho  !' 

" '  Where  away  f  said  I,  for  I  had  no  more  idea 
of  our  latitude  and  longitude  than  if  I  had  been 
dropped  down  out  of  the  clouds.  '  Off  our  weather 
eyef 

"  '  That's  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope !' 

"  Ne'er  went  John  Gilpin  faster  than  we  rounded 
the  cape. 

" '  Hard  down  your  flukes  !'  shouted  my  compan 
ion,  and  in  five  minutes  Table  Mountain  looked  blue 
in  the  distance.  The  sun  had  just  risen  above  the 
horizon,  when  an  island  appeared  ahead. 

"  *  Land  ho  !'  cried  the  old  man. 


TABOR'S  \ARN.  177 

" '  Why,  you  bloody  old  popinjay,'  said  I,  peering 
through  the  clouds  of  spray  that  rose  up  before  us, 
'  where  are  you  steering  T 

"  '  That's  St.  Helena !' 

"  *  The  devil  you  say  !'  and  before  the  words  were 
well  out  of  my  mouth  we  shot  past  the  island  and 
left  it  galloping  astern. 

"  *  Stick  on  !  stick  on,  John  Tabor !'  cried  old 
greasy-beard  ;  and  I  tightened  my  grasp  on  the  seat 
of  his  ducks.  The  sea  was  growing  rough.  We 
flew  onward  like  wildfire. 

"  '  Land  ho  !'  shouted  the  old  man  again. 

" '  Where's  that  f  said  I,  holding  on  with  all  my 
might. 

"  '  That's  Cape  Hatteras  !' 

"  Our  speed  now  increased  to  such  a  degree  that 
my  hat  flew  off,  and  the  wind  whistled  through  my 
hair,  for  it  stood  bolt  upright  the  whole  time,  so  fear 
ful  was  I  of  losing  my  passage.  I  had  traveled  in 
steam-boats,  stages,  and  locomotives,  but  I  had  nev 
er  experienced  or  imagined  any  thing  like  this.  I 
couldn't  contain  myself  any  longer ;  so  I  made  bold 
to  tell  the  old  chap  with  the  beard  what  I  thought 
about  it. 

" '  Shiver  me !'  said  I,  '  if  this  isn't  the  most  out 
landish,  hell-bent  voyage  I  ever  went.  If  you  don't 
come  to  pretty  soon,  you  and  I'll  part  company.' 

"  *  Land  ho  !'  roared  the  old  man. 

"  'In  the  devil's  name,'  said  I,  'what  d'ye  call  that  T 

"  '  Nantucket,'  replied  my  comrade. 
Z 


178  TABOR'S  YARN. 

"  We  passed  it  in  the  winking  of  an  eye,  and  away 
we  went  up  Buzzard's  Bay.  The  coast  was  lined 
with  old  whaling  shippers,  spying  us  with  glasses ; 
for  certainly  so  strange  a  sight  was  never  seen  before 
or  since. 

"  '  There  she  breaches  !'  cried  some. 

" '  There  she  blows  !'  cried  others  ;  but  it  was  all 
one  to  them.  We  were  out  of  sight  in  a  jiffy. 

"  The  coast  of  Massachusetts  was  right  ahead. 
On,  on  we  flew.  Taborstown,  the  general  recepta 
cle  for  Tabors,  stood  before  us.  High  and  dry  we 
landed  on  the  beach.  Still  onward  went  the  whale, 
blowing,  and  pitching,  and  tearing  up  the  sand  with 
his  flukes. 

" '  My  eyes !'  said  I,  scarcely  able  to  see  a  dart 
ahead,  'look  out,  or  you'll  be  foul  of  the  town  pump  !' 

"  '  Go  it !  Never  say  die  !  Hold  fast,  John  Tabor !' 
shouted  the  old  chap ;  and  helter-skelter  we  fle\v 
down  Main-street,  scattering  children,  and  women, 
and  horses,  and  all  manner  of  live  stock  and  domes 
tic  animals,  on  each  side.  The  old  Cape  Horn  and 
plum-pudding  captains  rushed  to  their  doors  at  a 
sight  so  rare. 

"  '  There  she  breaches  !  There  she  breaches  !'  re 
sounded  through  the  town  fore  and  aft ;  and  with 
the  ruling  passion  strong  even  in  old  age,  they  came 
hobbling  after  us,  armed  with  lances,  harpoons,  and 
a  variety  of  old  rusty  whale-gear,  the  hindmost  sing 
ing  out, 

" '  Don't  you  strike  that  whale,  Captain  Tabor !' 


TABOR'S  YARN.  179 

and  the  foremost  shouting  to  those  behind,  '  This  is 
my  chance,  Captain  Tabor  !'  while  the  old  man  with 
the  long  beard,  just  ahead  of  me,  kept  roaring, 

"'Stick  fast,  John  Tabor!  hang  on  like  grim 
Death,  John  Tabor !' 

"And  I  did  hang  on.  As  I  had  predicted,  we 
fetched  up  against  the  town  pump ;  and  so  great 
was  the  shock,  that  the  old  fellow  flew  head  fore 
most  over  it,  leaving  in  my  firm  grasp  the  entire  seat 
of  his  ducks.  I  fell  myself;  but  being  farther  aft, 
didn't  go  quite  so  far  as  my  comrade.  However,  I 
held  on  to  the  stern-sheets.  As  the  old  man  right 
ed  up,  he  presented  a  comical  spectacle  to  the  good 
citizens  of  Taborstown.  The  youngsters,  seeing 
such  an  odd  fish  floundering  about,  got  their  minia 
ture  lances  and  harpoons  to  bear  upon  him,  in  a 
manner  that  didn't  tickle  his  fancy  much. 

"  The  whale  at  length  got  under  weigh  again,  and 
onward  we  went,  with  about  twenty  irons  dangling 
at  each  side.  I  grasped  the  old  man  by  the  collar 
of  his  jacket  this  time.  A  shout  of  laughter  follow 
ed  us. 

" '  You've  lost  your  whale,  Captain  Tabor !'  cried 
one. 

"'The  devil's  in  the  whale,  Captain  Tabor!' 
cried  another. 

" '  As  long  as  I've  been  Captain  Tabor/  said  a 
third,  *  I  never  saw  such  a  whale.' 

"  '  As  sure  as  I'm  Captain  Tabor,  he's  bewitched/ 
observed  a  fourth. 


180  TABORS    YARN. 

" '  Captain  Tabor,  Captain  Tabor !  I've  lost  my 
irons !'  shouted  a  fifth. 

" '  Who's  that  aboard,  Captain  Tabor  V  asked  a 
sixth. 

"  '  That's  John  Tabor  !'  replied  a  seventh. 

"  '  John  Tabor,  John  Tabor,  hold  fast !'  roared  the 
old  man,  and  awaj  we  went  as  if  possessed  of  the 
devil,  sure  enough.  Over  hills  and  dales,  and  through 
towns  and  villages  flew  we,  till  the  Alleghanies  hove 
in  sight.  We  cleared  them  in  no  time,  and  came 
down  with  a  glorious  breach  right  into  the  Alleghany 
River.  Down  the  river  we  dashed  through  steam 
boats,  flat-boats,  and  all  manner  of  small  craft,  till  we 
entered  the  Ohio.  Right  ahead  went  we,  upsetting 
every  thing  in  our  way,  and  astonishing  the  natives, 
who  never  saw  any  thing  in  such  shape  go  at  this 
rate  before.  We  entered  the  Mississippi,  dashed 
across  all  the  bends  through  swamp  and  canebrake, 
and  at  last  found  ourselves  in  the  Gulf  of  Mexico, 
going  like  wildfire  through  a  fleet  of  whalers.  Noth 
ing  daunted,  the  whale  dashed  ahead ;  the  coast 
of  South  America  hove  in  sight.  Over  the  Andes 
went  we — into  the  Pacific — past  the  Sandwich  Isl 
ands — on  to  China — past  Borneo — up  the  Straits  of 
Malacca — through  the  Seychelles  Islands — down  the 
Mozambique  Channel,  and  at  last  we  fetched  up  in 
Algon  Bay.  We  ran  ashore  with  such  headway 
that  I  was  pitched  head  foremost  into  the  sand,  and 
there  I  fastened  as  firm  as  the  stump  of  a  tree.  You 
may  be  sure,  out  of  breath  as  I  was,  I  soon  began  to 


TABOR'S  YARN.  181 

smother.  This  feeling  of  suffocation  became  so  in 
tolerable,  that  I  struggled  with  the  desperation  of  a 
man  determined  not  to  give  up  the  ghost.  A  con 
fusion  of  ideas  came  upon  me  all  at  once,  and  I 
found  myself  sitting  upright  in  my  catanda  in  the 
old  hospital — " 

Here  Tabor  paused. 

"  Then  it  was  all  a  dream  V  said  I,  somewhat  dis 
appointed.  He  shook  his  head,  and  was  mysteri 
ously  silent  for  a  while. 

"  I  could  easily  have  supposed  it  wras  all  a  dream," 
he  replied,  at  length,  "  only  for  what  followed.  The 
old  man,  with  the  same  supernatural  glare  in  his 
eye,  the  same  long  beard,  stood  by  me.  I  tried  to  per 
suade  myself  my  eyes  deceived  me.  I  shut  them 
and  opened  them  again.  Still  he  was  there.  I 
spoke  to  him  ;  but  he  was  silent.  I  sprang  from  the 
bed,  and  endeavored  to  get  hold  of  him.  As  I  ad 
vanced  he  receded.  I  followed  him  out  on  the 
beach.  When  I  ran  he  ran.  He  always  kept  the 
same  distance  from  me.  I  returned  to  the  hospital, 
and  he  followed  me.  The  moment  I  entered,  I  shut 
the  door  in  his  face.  It  was  all  in  vain.  He  passed 
through  it  without  an  effort.  For  more  than  a  week 
I  was  haunted  in  this  manner." 

"  I  suppose  it  was  some  illusion  produced  by  the 
fever?" 

"  No ;  for  long  after  that,  when  I  was  as  well  as 
ever,  I  saw  him  again.  He  always  appears  to  me, 
as  a  kind  of  punishment  for  my  sins,  when  I  indulge 


182  TABOR'S  YARN. 

in  liquor.  He  troubles  me  after  every  spree.  I  don't 
know  what  to  think  of  it.  To-night,  as  I  was  lying 
in  my  berth,  I  saw  him  come  up  out  of  the  run  as 
plainly  as  I  see  you.  He  stood  glaring  at  me  a 
while,  and  then  approached  me.  I  shuddered,  for  I 
had  the  black  horrors. 

"  '  D'ye  want  to  get  clear  of  me  V  he  hissed. 

" '  'Fore  God,  I  do,'  said  I. 

" '  Swear,  then,  this  night,  that  you'll  never  taste 
another  drop  of  grog.' 

"  Would  you  believe  it  1  I  hadn't  the  resolution 
to  take  the  oath.  With  a  wild  laugh  he  darted  out 
of  the  cabin.  I  followed  him.  The  rest  you  know." 

There  was  a  mixture  of  the  comic  and  the  serious 
in  Tabor's  account  of  his  troubles  that  interested  me 
exceedingly.  He  was  not  a  superstitious  man,  and 
he  very  naturally  doubted  the  reality  of  the  vision, 
though  the  evidence  was  such  as  to  stagger  his  reas 
on.  That  night  he  made  a  solemn  vow  to  abstain 
from  rum.  Want  of  firmness  was  not  one  of  his 
failings,  and  I  have  reason  to  believe  that  his  vow 
has  never  been  broken.  At  all  events,  he  saw  no 
more  of  the  "  old  man  with  the  long  beard." 

In  the  forecastle  we  had  a  great  variety  of  singu 
lar  characters,  among  whom,  next  to  Bill  Mann, 
"son  of  old  Ed.  Mann,  sail-maker,  New  York," 
was  a  young  Englishman,  who  went  by  the  name 
of  Jack  Smith.  This  fellow  had  more  of  the  con 
flicting  elements  of  human  nature  in  his  character 


PERSONIFICATION    OF    TRUTH:    JACK    SMITH.       183 

than  any  one  man  I  ever  knew.  He  was  fall  of  the 
noblest  impulses :  free,  generous,  and  fearless  to  a 
fault;  but,  at  the  same  time,  a  most  unprincipled 
scoundrel.  Lying  had  become  second  nature  with 
him.  He  actually  seemed  incapable  of  telling  the 
truth,  so  inveterate  a  liar  was  he,  and  so  natural  did 
k  come  to  him  to  distort  facts.  When  he  entered 
his  name  upon  the  ship's  papers  at  Fayal,  it  was 
Jack  Smith.  Soon  after,  he  avowed  most  solemnly 
that  it  was  John  Post.  When  he  had  succeeded  in 
making  every  body  believe  that,  he  protested  on  his 
sacred  word  that  it  was  James  Provost,  and  that  he 
was  an  illegitimate  son  of  Sir  John  Provost ;  but,  in 
a  week  or  two  after  that,  he  offered  to  kiss  the  Bi 
ble,  and  swear  that  it  was  neither  Smith,  nor  Post, 
nor  Provost,  but  a  name  which  should  go  to  the 
grave  with  him  unknown  to  a  human  being.  This 
threw  an  air  of  mystery  over  Jack's  personal  history 
that  was  very  interesting  to  the  crew  generally.  I 
learned  from  him,  confidentially,  some  of  the  particu 
lars  of  his  life,  which,  had  they  been  true,  would  have 
been  truly  astonishing.  According  to  his  own  ac 
count,  he  was  nearly  as  old  as  Methuselah,  though 
in  appearance  not  more  than  twenty-one.  Jack  as 
sured  me,  with  many  oaths,  that  he  commenced  the 
sea-faring  life  at  the  tender  age  tffive,  at  which  in 
teresting  period  he  could  knot  a  reef-point  equal  to 
any  man  on  board.  He  was  nine  years  before  the 
mast  in  the  merchant  service.  Tired  of  sea-faring, 
he  bound  himself  apprentice  to  a  baker ;  spent  six 


184  JACK  SMITH. 

months  with  his  employer;  then  apprenticed  himself 
to  a  sail-maker,  with  whom  he  remained  two  or  three 
years.  He  next  acted  in  the  capacity  of  a  butcher's 
boy  for  a  year  or  two  more  ;  but  not  liking  the  busi 
ness  as  well  as  he  had  expected,  he  bound  himself  to 
a  carpenter.  After  a  year  at  this  trade  he  went  to 
shoe-making ;  but  shoe-making  was  too  sedentary  a 
trade  to  suit  his  wandering  disposition,  and,  after 
spending  eighteen  months  at  it,  he  hired  himself  to  a 
black-smith,  with  whom  he  remained  two  years. 
The  business  became  dull,  and  having  an  ardent  de 
sire  to  go  to  sea  again,  he  shipped  in  a  merchant  ves 
sel  bound  to  Antwerp.  He  was  twenty- eight  months 
in  this  vessel.  When  he  left  her,  he  entered  the 
navy  of  the  United  States,  and  w7ent  to  Florida  on 
an  Indian-hunting  expedition.  He  spent  a  year  in 
the  swamps  chasing  the  Indians,  and  another  in  the 
West  Indies,  where  he  received  a  flogging,  and  de 
serted  ;  a  reward  for  his  toils  which  he  looked  upon 
as  ungrateful,  to  say  the  least  of  it.  He  there  ship 
ped  in  another  man-of-war.  When  his  time  was 
out  he  went  to  New  York  to  ship  again,  but  wras 
taken  up  as  a  deserter,  and  was  put  in  prison  for  six 
months.  At  the  expiration  of  that  period,  he  ship 
ped  at  Newport,  Rhode  Island,  in  a  whaler.  He 
was  flogged  for  stealing  soon  after  she  left  port,  and 
deserted  on  the  first  island  she  touched  at.  He  soon 
shipped  again,  however,  and  went  on  a  voyage  of 
three  years  ;  then  another  of  four  years.  Altogether 
he  was  in  the  whale  fishery  about  nine  years,  during 


JACK   SMITH.  185 

which  time  he  had  been  frequently  wrecked,  and 
maimed  on  various  occasions  by  whales. 

I  will  not  vouch  for  the  truth  of  Jack's  narrative, 
particularly  as  he  was  not  in  reality  more  than  twenty- 
one  years  of  age,  and  bore  no  traces  upon  his  person 
of  the  dreadful  catastrophes  which  had  befallen  him, 
with  the  exception  of  the  floggings  he  had  received, 
and  they  were  manifold,  if  I  might  judge  by  the 
fanciful  manner  in  which  his  back  was  striped.  As 
to  the  numerous  trades  he  had  learned,  it  wras  very 
evident  that  he  had  a  natural  talent  for  every  thing 
under  the  sun,  for  there  was  not  a  man  on  board  the 
barque  so  expert  at  all  sorts  of  handicraft:  shoe- 
making,  black-smithing,  butchering,  tailoring,  sail- 
making,  or  any  thing  necessary  to  be  done  on  board 
ship.  He  was  the  most  active  sailor,  and  the  most 
worthless  one,  I  ever  saw. 

This  fellow  had  acquired,  not  only  the  habit  of 
telling  the  most  marvelous  lies,  but  that  of  pilfering 
every  thing  he  could  lay  his  hands  upon.  He  com 
menced  his  career  of  petty  larceny  by  robbing  us  all 
of  our  vinegar  and  molasses.  When  we  discovered 
the  thief,  he  swore  he  intended  to  knock  off  stealing ; 
that  it  was  a  d — d  ungentlemanly  way  of  appropri 
ating  the  property  of  another  to  one's  own  uses ; 
and  he  \vould  never  touch  any  thing  belonging  to 
us,  if  we  said  nothing  of  his  past  offenses.  The 
very  next  week  he  stole  a  pair  of  shoes  and  a  jack- 
knife  from  me.  Unfortunately,  though  well  assured 
that  he  was  the  thief,  I  could  adduce  no  positive 

A  A 


186  JACK   SMITH. 

proof  of  the  fact  at  that  time,  and  I  was  obliged  to 
make  the  best  of  my  loss.  Lying  and  stealing  actu 
ally  seemed  to  be  part  of  his  nature,  which  he  could 
no  more  resist  than  eating  and  drinking.  When  ac 
cused  of  any  misdemeanor  of  this  kind,  he  would  fly 
into  a  furious  passion,  protesting  with  the  most  aw 
ful  oaths  that  he  was  badly  treated  and  much  abused, 
and  intended  to  whip  all  hands  the  first  chance  he 
got  ashore.  "  He  wouldn't  be  imposed  upon  because 
he  was  a  bloody  Englishman."  The  next  moment 
he  would  ask  a  favor  of  his  most  inveterate  enemy ; 
for  there  was  one  good  trait  about  him  :  he  never  en 
tertained  the  least  ill-will  toward  any  one,  however 
much  he  quarreled  or  caused  enmity  to  exist  against 
himself.  Jack  was  generous  too  ;  he  would  rob  his 
best  friend,  nay,  according  to  his  own  confession,  he 
had  robbed  the  dead,  and  it  was  a  common  trick  for 
him  to  steal  from  his  parents ;  but  the  first  person  he 
fancied  he  would  bestow  all  he  had  upon,  even  to 
the  shirt  he  wore.  He  was  a  most  awful  blasphemer. 
I  have  heard  oaths  from  him  that  made  my  blood 
curdle.  He  was  second  only  to  Bill  Mann  in  the 
art  of  "  growling."  Jack  had  quarrels  to  settle  with 
every  body ;  and,  what  was  most  amusing,  he  would 
sit  down  with  his  mortal  foe  and  talk  over  the  ap 
proaching  fight  in  the  most  good-natured  and  friendly 
mauner.  He  was  always  in  trouble  with  the  captain 
and  officers,  and  occasioned  more  care  and  anxiety 
on  their  part  than  all  the  rest  of  the  hands.  So  much 
for  Jack  Smith,  our  bully  young  Englishman. 


MACK.  187 

Barzilla  MacF ,  the  "  down-easter,"  was  an 
other  singular  character.  I  have  already  given  some 
idea  of  his  dry  humor  in  his  remarks  upon  our  first 
whale.  With  rather  a  muddy  intellect,  he  had  natu 
rally  an  under-current  of  original  humor,  which  was 
a  source  of  great  amusement  to  us  all.  Mack  was 
very  dull  at  learning  any  thing  connected  with  sea- 
craft,  and  made  rather  a  clumsy  sailor.  The  captain 
disliked  him  on  this  account,  and  continually  hazed 
him  for  his  awkwardness  ;  but  Mack  took  every  hard 
rub  with  the  utmost  good  humor.  A  more  inoffen 
sive,  kind-hearted  fellow  never  existed.  He  was  al 
ways  generous  and  attentive  to  the  sick.  Whenever 
a  chance  of  going  ashore  occurred,  he  was  ever  ready 
to  yield  his  place  to  any  one  who  seemed  anxious  to 
go  ;  or, if  we  went  on  a  " gam"  he  always  offered  to 
take  care  of  the  boat  alongside.  I  really  felt  a  strong 
attachment  to  this  poor,  friendless,  uncouth  fellow, 
maltreated  and  abused  as  he  was  by  the  captain  and 
officers.  Mack  always  had  something  amusing  to 
say  whenever  the  crew  were  in  an  ill  humor  about 
the  miserable  fare  we  had.  On  one  occasion,  as  we 
were  all  sitting  around  the  empty  meat  kid,  growling 
at  the  "  old  man"  for  his  stinginess,  the  "down-easter" 
commenced  as  usual : 

"  I  say,  folks,  what's  the  use  of  talkin'  about  it  1 
If  ye'll  jest  listen  to  me,  I'll  tell  you  how  to  fix  it. 
Our  molasses  is  so  tarnation  sour,  we  can  sweeten 
it  with  vinegar ;  it's  so  thin,  a  little  water  will  thick 
en  it.  The  tea  is  pesky  nasty  sort  o'  stuff.  Can't 


188  MACK. 

we  improve  it  by  washin'  down  the  hog-pen  with  it 
before  it's  served  out  ?  It  worit  be  nastier,  and  it 
won't  be  nicer.  It'll  be  considerable  cleaner,  any 
how.  I  don't  know  how  we'll  git  enough  of  meat. 
Let's  turn  the  kid  upside  down,  and  all  hands  lick 
away  at  the  bottom.  The  bread's  monstrous  dirty. 
Why  not  scrub  it  down  with  one  of  the  deck- 
brooms?  You're  always  a  jawin'  about  the  duffs. 
Let's  save  'em  up  for  six  weeks,  and  then  we  can 
have  enough  for  a  meal.  While  we're  waitin',  we 
can  play  marbles  with  'em.  Very  well,  as  we  ain't 
got  our  allowance  of  rice,  we  can  dig  away  at  vine 
gar  and  vacancy ;  and,  when  the  old  man  sings  out 
arter  us  to  man  the  boats,  we'll  jest  turn  edgewise, 
and  say, '  Old  Skinflint,  you  needn't  holler ;  we  ain't 
to  be  found  in  no  particular  place.' " 

Mack  had  some  lines  of  his  own  composition, 
which  he  often  repeated  for  our  benefit  and  edifica 
tion  on  occasions  like  this.  His  mock-tragic  man 
ner  was  always  sure  to  produce  a  general  roar  of 
laughter.  I  think,  as  a  literary  curiosity,  the  lines 
ought  to  be  preserved : 

41  Dear  youth,  let  this  a  solemn  warnin'  be, 
Don't  you  fool  away  yourself,  and  come  to  sea ; 
For  if  you  do,  you'll  wish  you  was  to  hum, 
Not  on  the  ocean,  whar'  the  mighty  whales  do  roam. 
You'll  wish  you  was  in  the  green  fields  in  spring, 
Whar'  the  crows  do  croak,  and  little  birds  do  sing. 
While  you  to  hum  the  best  of  cabbiges  do  eat, 
With  plenty  of  potatoes  and  fresh  meat, 
We  on  the  deep  sea,  alas ! 
Has  nothin'  but  horse-junk  and  pepper-sass. 


CHARLEY    CLIFFORD.  189 

Oh !  nobody — nobody  knows 
What  a  poor  sailor  undergoes  !" 

I  never  saw  Mack  in  an  ill  humor.  Under  every 
circumstance  he  was  the  same  singular,  awkward, 
good-natured  oddity.  The  horrible  and  brutal  man 
ner  in  which  he  was  treated  toward  the  latter  part 
of  the  cruise  will  form  the  subject  of  some  future  re 
marks,  in  which  I  shall  give  a  fair  exposition  of  the 
dastardly  conduct  of  a  wretch  whose  name  deserves 
to  be  branded  with  infamy. 

Of  all  the  crew  my  favorite  was  Charley  Clifford* 
a  little  fellow  from  Connecticut,  belonging  to  the 
waist  boat.  In  every  respect  Charley  was  the  best 
specimen  of  a  Yankee  tar  I  ever  met  with :  active, 
energetic,  and  fearless ;  and  possessed  of  all  the 
frankness  and  generosity  of  a  genuine  sailor.  He 
had  received  some  education,  which,  combined  with 
a  very  strong,  keen  mind,  rendered  him  a  pleasant 
companion  for  a  long  night-watch.  For  graphic  de 
scriptions  of  incidents  ashore  and  at  sea  I  never  saw 
his  equal,  except  Tabor.  His  fund  of  wit  and  anec 
dote  was  inexhaustible.  When  I  first  saw  Charley, 
I  was  struck  by  his  personal  appearance.  In  height 
he  was  about  five  feet  five,  very  compact,  and  well- 
built.  He  wore  his  hair  in  long  ringlets,  reaching 
down  over  his  shoulders,  and  had  his  tarpaulin 
jauntily  cocked  on  one  side,  with  a  fathom  of  rib 
bon  to  set  it  off.  His  trowsers  were  wide,  white 
ducks,  cut  in  the  pink  of  nautical  fashion.  Altogether 
he  was  the  handsomest  and  most  sailor-like  little  fel 
low  on  board. 


190  TOM    VERNON. 

The  next  in  the  forecastle  of  any  note  was  Tom 
Vernon,  a  youth  from  Philadelphia,  who  had  run 
away  from  home  to  test  the  charms  of  a  "  life  on  the 
ocean  wave."  There  was  nothing  uncommon  in 
his  history.  He  had  been  a  clerk  in  a  hardware 
store,  and  had  fallen  out  with  his  employers,  which 
was  the  original  cause  of  his  troubles.  He  was  well 
educated,  and  wrote  an  excellent  hand  ;  but  Nature 
had  never  intended  him  for  a  sailor.  The  captain 
and  mate  held  a  taught  rein  upon  poor  Tom,  and 
treated  him  with  great  severity  and  harshness.  The 
surest  way  to  render  a  man  worthless  and  indifferent 
to  the  success  of  the  voyage  is  to  haze  him,  and  find 
fault  with  him  when  he  does  his  duty  to  the  best  of 
his  ability.  It  never  makes  a  smarter  or  a  better 
man  of  him ;  and  it  often,  by  degrading  him  in  the 
eyes  of  his  comrades,  makes  him  reckless  of  all  his 
obligations.  It  was  so  with  Tom.  At  first  he  used 
every  exertion  in  his  power  to  please  ;  but  finding  he 
was  still  treated  badly,  he  became  sullen  and  morose, 
and  did  as  little  as  he  possibly  could.  This  inflamed 
the  mate  with  a  deadly  animosity  against  him.  The 
unfortunate  lad  led  the  life  of  a  dog.  There  are  va 
rious  ways  on  board  a  ship  of  gratifying  malice  of 
this  kind :  such  as  giving  a  man  the  most  disagree 
able  jobs,  hazing  him  about,  cursing  him  at  the  helm, 
and  taunting  him  for  his  awkwardness.  The  usual 
manner  in  which  Tom  was  addressed  was,  "  You 
d — d  soger  !  you  blasted  sheephead  !  you  infernal 
liar !"  &c.  The  melancholy  fate  of  this  poor  fellow. 


BULLY    BLAIR.  191 

at  a  subsequent  period,  formed  a  tragic  termination 
to  the  system  of  heartless  and  brutal  tyranny  with 
which  he  was  treated  on  board  the  Styx. 

By  far  the  noisiest  man  in  the  forecastle  was  John 
Blair,  a  stone-cutter,  from  New  York,  commonly 
called  Bully.  Had  every  by-alley  and  den  of  infamy 
in  that  city  been  searched,  there  could  not  have  been 
found  a  more  abandoned  ruffian  than  this  fellow.  He 
made  it  a  boast  that  he  was  the  most  conspicuous 
man  in  New  York  among  the  sisters  of  the  pave,  and 
rejoiced  in  the  cognomen  of  the  "  Ladies'  Fancy 
Man."  He  was  continually  boasting  of  the  dee4s 
of  rascality  he  had  committed,  and  took  no  small 
pride  in  the  fact  that  he  had  been  driven  to  sea  in 
order  to  escape  punishment  for  a  most  infamous  and 
atrocious  act  of  violence  upon  the  person  of  a  re 
spectable  girl.  There  was  a  low  cunning  and  a  to 
tal  want  of  every  manly  principle  about  him  that 
rendered  him  detestable  to  every  one  on  board. 

The  remainder  of  the  crew  consisted  of  Portu 
guese  from  the  Western  Islands,  who  may  be  de 
scribed  in  a  few  words.  A  more  ignorant,  heartless, 
treacherous,  beastly  set  of  men,  I  think,  never  exist 
ed  ;  and,  with  two  exceptions,  I  would  rather  live 
amon^  the  most  degraded  of  the  savage  tribes.  They 
were  all  blustering  and  cowardly,  except  John  and 
George,  the  only  decent  Portuguese  in  the  vessel. 
George  was  a  quiet,  harmless  nonentity ;  active 
enough  as  a  sailor,  but  with  the  intellect  of  a  child. 
John,  the  largest  man  on  board,  was  a  fine  specimen 


192  PORTUGUESE    SHIPMATES. 

of  corporeal  strength  and  mental  imbecility.  He 
was  over  six  feet  in  height,  of  tremendous  breadth 
across  the  shoulders,  and  active  as  a  cat.  It  was  al 
most  impossible  to  get  him  angry ;  but,  when  once 
aroused,  he  was  a  perfect  demon.  John  was  liked 
and  feared  by  the  whole  crew ;  for,  while  he  gave 
offense  to  none,  he  was  able,  if  imposed  upon,  to  flog 
any  four  men  in  the  forecastle. 

With  these  men  I  had  cast  my  lot ;  and,  such  as 
they  were,  made  up  of  good  and  evil,  I  felt  that,  for 
my  own  comfort,  it  was  necessary  to  be  on  friendly 
terms  with  all,  and  to  associate  with  them  as  equals. 

Our  routine  of  duty  on  a  passage  was  as  follows : 
Each  man  had  his  two  hours  at  the  mast-head  and 
two  hours  at  the  wheel  every  day.  The  watches, 
instead  of  boat's  crews,  as  we  had  them  on  the 
whaling  ground,  were  divided  into  two,  the  larboard 
and  starboard.  The  mate  had  charge  of  the  first, 
and  the  second  mate  of  the  last.  There  were  alter 
nate  hours  of  duty,  four  on  deck  and  four  below,  ex 
cept  during  the  "  dog  watches,"  from  four  o'clock  in 
the  afternoon  to  supper  time,  when  all  hands  were 
on  deck.  This  gave  us  an  average  of  nine  hours  be 
low  out  of  the  twenty-four.  All  that  was  required 
of  us  at  night  in  fine  weather  was  to  be  on  deck,  and 
take  turns  at  keeping  a  look-out.  There  were  six 
men  in  each  watch:  one  at  the  helm,  one  on  the 
night-heads,  and  the  rest  at  liberty,  unless  called  upon 
to  brace  the  yards,  to  pass  away  their  watch  on  deck 
as  they  best  could,  spinning  yarns,  or  taking  a  sly 


ROUTINE    OF    DUTY.  193 

nap  under  the  weather  rail.  Being  able  to  get  an 
average  of  two  hours  sleep  every  night  in  this  way, 
and  six  below,  we  had  about  four  hours  every  day 
to  ourselves,  which  we  usually  spent  mending  our 
clothes,  talking,  smoking,  or  reading. 

I  found  my  two  hours  a  day,  and  four  every  alter 
nate  day,  at  the  mast-head  very  tedious  at  first.  It 
was  not  until  we  left  the  Western  Islands  that  I  could 
stand  them  without  experiencing  anew  all  the  dis 
agreeable  symptoms  of  sea-sickness ;  and  in  this 
misfortune  I  was  not  alone ;  for  few  of  the  green 
hands  could  stand  at  the  mast-head  in  rough  weath 
er  without  becoming  sea-sick.  Still  it  was  not  un 
pleasant  to  be  occasionally  removed  from  the  noise 
and  confusion  of  the  forecastle.  The  mast-head  was 
a  little  world  of  peace  and  seclusion,  where  I  could 
think  over  past  times  without  interruption.  There 
was  much  around  me  to  inspire  vague  and  visionary 
fancies :  the  ocean,  a  trackless  waste  of  waters ;  the 
arched  sky  spread  over  it  like  a  variegated  curtain  ; 
the  sea-birds  wheeling  in  the  air ;  and  the  myriads 
of  albacore  cleaving  their  way  through  the  clear,  blue 
waves,  were  all  calculated  to  create  novel  emotions 
in  the  mind  of  a  landsman.  It  was  here  I  could 
cast  a  retrospective  glance  at  my  past  life.  Here  it 
was  I  could  think  of  my  home  in  the  west,  where  I 
had  spent  years  of  unalloyed  happiness,  with  none  to 
tyrannize  over  me,  but  where  all  was  social  har 
mony.  How  bright  and  beautiful  seemed  the  past ! 
How  I  longed  once  more  to  see  the  familiar  faces 

B  B 


194  SEA-MUSING. 

of  friends  and  kindred !  Hour  after  hour  have  I 
thought  of  by-gone  scenes  and  happier  days  ; 

"  My  very  heart  athirst 
To  gaze  on  Nature  in  her  green  array." 

Whenever  I  became  so  wrapped  up  in  these  vision 
ary  dreams  as  to  forget  that  I  was  not  placed  at  the 
mast-head  for  that  special  purpose,  the  loud,  harsh 
voice  of  the  captain  would  arouse  me,  with  a  friend 
ly  hint  to  "  keep  a  sharp  lookout  for  whales,  or  he'd 
wake  me  up  with  a  rope's  end."  To  be  suddenly 
startled  from  a  delicious  revery,  abounding  in  those 
ethereal  and  refined  fancies  which  Rousseau  has  so 
beautifully  described  as  part  of  the  inspiration  deriv 
ed  from  an  elevated  atmosphere  ;  to  have  one's  hap 
piest  dreams  of  home  dissipated  by  an  allusion  to 
"  rope's  ends,"  suggesting  thoughts  of  the  mode  in 
which  they  are  usually  applied,  is  not  so  romantic 
as  one  might  suppose. 

The  only  time  I  experienced  any  thing  akin  to 
real  pleasure  was  during  my  night-watches,  when  the 
weather  was  fine.  I  could  then  find  a  comfortable 
seat,  and  spend  a  few  hours  in  agreeable  conversa 
tion  with  Tabor  and  Clifford,  the  only  two  on 
board  who  really  had  any  idea  of  the  pleasures  of 
social  intercourse.  With  a  strong  passion  for  all 
the  romance  and  superstitions  of  sea-life,  I  often  list 
ened  for  hours  to  their  reminiscences  of  adventure 
and  legendary  lore ;  and  such  was  the  natural  and 
graphic  force  of  their  descriptions  that  it  was  diffi 
cult  to  separate  the  real  from  the  fictitious.  In  their 


NIGHT-WATCHES.  195 

own  homely  and  energetic  language  they  could  con 
jure  up  scenes  of  startling  reality — scenes  invested 
with  all  the  charms  of  romance.  Tabor,  in  partic 
ular — though  he  never  made  use  of  a  poetical  word ; 
though  he  had  never  read  a  line  of  real  poetry — 
had  a  thorough  appreciation,  unknown  to  himself, 
of  the  poetry  of  incident,  and  could  throw  the  true 
poetic  mantle  over  the  most  ordinary  narrations  by 
the  very  simplicity  and  natural  energy  of  his  lan 
guage.  I  often  thought  that,  could  he  have  received 
the  benefits  of  education,  without  impairing  the 
original  vigor  of  his  mind — could  he  have  preserved 
the  freshness  of  his  language  with  the  addition  of  a 
cultivated  intellect,  few  men  would  have  ranked 
higher  in  the  literary  world.  Tabor  was  one  of 
those  poets  "  who  have  never  penned  their  inspira 


tion." 


These  night-watches  were  not  always  devoid  of 
other  pleasures.  When  it  is  borne  in  mind  that  the 
most  trifling  event  on  a  long  and  monotonous  pass 
age  constitutes  an  epoch  in  sea-life,  I  think  I  shall 
be  pardoned  for  introducing  one  of  the  few  little 
incidents  which  occurred  soon  after  we  had  left  the 
Cape  de  Verde  Islands. 

A  quiet,  beautiful  moonlight  night  had  succeeded 
a  week's  rough  weather.  My  watch  on  deck  was 
nearly  over.  The  sky  looked  so  calm,  and  the  ves 
sel  was  so  still,  that  I  could  not  sleep  ;  for  when  one 
becomes  accustomed  to  the  lullaby  of  the  storm  it 
is  difficult  to  dispense  with  it.  I  stretched  myself 


196  MACK'S  NIGHTMARE. 

on  the  windlass,  and  amused  myself  looking  up  at 
the  stars,  and  wondering  whether  the  inhabitants 
carried  on  the  whaling  business.  If  so,  was  it  not 
probable  they  had  their  duff-days  and  their  banyan- 
days,  their  tricks  at  the  helm,  their  mast-heads,  their 
look-outs,  their  watches  on  deck  and  their  watches 
below  I  and  then,  pursuing  this  train  of  reflection,  I 
naturally  bestowed  upon  my  lunar  brethren  a  great 
deal  of  unnecessary  sympathy. 

While  under  the  influence  of  these  pleasant  cogi 
tations,  a  deep  groan,  apparently  close  by,  startled 
me.  There  was  no  illusion  about  it.  I  could  not 
be  mistaken.  It  was  a  groan — a  real  groan.  I  look 
ed  around,  and  saw  the  watch  asleep  under  the  bul 
warks.  It  evidently  proceeded  from  nobody  there. 
In  a  few  moments  it  was  repeated,  half  smothered, 
and  horribly  sepulchral.  Supposing  some  of  the 
crew  were  attempting  to  play  a  trick  upon  me,  I 
pretended  to  take  no  notice  of  it.  Again  the  awful 
groan  was  repeated,  with  low,  smothered  exclama 
tions  :  "Oh,  great  Jee-hovah  !  oh  !  um  !  ah  !  wrugh  ! 
good  jee-meny  I  oh  !  oh  !"  muttered  the  voice.  "  Oh 
cracky  !  oh  gosh  !  I'm  catched — catched  at  last ! 
I'll  give  in.  Oh  !" 

It  was  Mack's  voice ;  there  was  no  doubt  about 
that.  I,  of  course,  thought  he  was  at  some  of  his 
tricks,  and  quietly  awaited  the  issue.  About  five 
minutes  elapsed,  when  the  most  awful  and  heart 
rending  groans  issued  from  some  place  not  very  dis 
tant  from  me,  accompanied  by  words  pronounced  in 


MACK'S  NIGHTMARE.  197 

a  sepulchral  voice.  "  Tabor  !  Tabor  !"  muttered 
the  sufferer  in  a  beseeching  tone,  "don't  stick  that 
'ere  fork  in  me  !"  A  pause ;  another  groan.  "  Oh, 
I'm  brilin' !  I'm  roastin' !  Pull  me  out !  help,  some 
body  !  Tom,  pull  me  out !" 

The  cries  of  distress  startled  the  men  who  were 
asleep  under  the  bulwarks.  Two  or  three  of  them 
lazily  raised  up  their  heads,  and  rubbed  their  eyes. 
I  immediately  jumped  up,  and,  assisted  by  the  watch, 
commenced  a  search.  While  we  were  looking 
around  in  search  of  Mack,  the  groan  was  repeated 
close  by  the  try-works.  Upon  removing  a  pile  of 
wood  and  an  old  tarpaulin  cover  from  the  deck-pot, 
we  found  him  coiled  up  in  the  smallest  possible 
space,  covered  with  oil  and  dirt,  and  presenting  al 
together  a  most  hideous  appearance.  Big  John,  the 
Portuguese,  caught  him  by  the  hair,  and  lifting  him 
out  with  one  hand,  placed  him  upon  his  legs.  Mack 
looked  around  him  perfectly  bewildered.  His  face 
was  black  with  dirty  oil,  his  eyes  were  wide  open, 
and  there  he  stood,  gasping  for  breath,  like  the  im 
personation  of  a  nightmare. 

"  What's  the  matter,  Mack  I"  cried  every  body  at 
once. 

"  Oh  gosh !  oh  gosh !"  was  all  the  reply  Mack 
could  make. 

"  Are  you  sick  ?" 

"  No,  no  !  Oh,  great  Jew-pitter !  oh  jee-meny  !" 
gasped  Mack. 

As  soon  as  he  could  speak,  he  gave  us  a  charac- 


198  THE  DOWN-EASTER'S  DREAM. 

teristic  explanation  of  tht  whole  affair.  It  appear 
ed  that,  in  looking  around  him  for  a  comfortable  nest 
in  which  he  couldtpass  the  night's  watch — having 
no  trick  at  the  helm,  or  look-out — he  was  struck 
with  the  inviting  appearance  of  the  deck-pot.  To 
protect  himself  from  the  night-dew  and  provide 
against  rain,  should  either  feel  disposed  to  attack 
him,  he  left  the  wood  on  the  tarpaulin  cover,  and 
creeping  in  under  it,  coiled  himself  up.  It  may  very 
naturally  be  presumed  that  the  weight  of  the  wood, 
combined  with  his  cramped  position,  did  not  pro 
duce  the  most  agreeable  soporific  effects.  He  had 
dreams — every  variety  of  horrible  dreams ;  but  the 
only  one  he  could  recollect  was  the  last,  which  he 
gave  us,  seated  on  the  forecastle  scuttle,  surrounded 
by  a  group  of  gaping  listeners.  It  was  an  original 
and  a  wonderful  dream,  of  which  no  idea  can  be 
formed  unless  I  give  it  in  his  own  language. 

THE  DOWN-EASTER'S  DREAM. 

"I  dreamp,"  said  Mack,  with  the  air  of  a  man  who 
is  conscious  of  the  importance  of  certain  mysteries 
into  which  he  is  about  to  admit  his  hearers,  "I 
dreamp  I  WAS  A  WHALE  !" 

"  A  whale !"  burst  from  every  lip. 

"  Yes,  a  WHALE,"  said  Mack,  bringing  his  fist  down 
upon  the  scuttle  with  an  emphasizing  thump ;  "  a 
sperm  whale !  I  was  cruisin'  all  around  in  search 
of  fodder,  not  thinkin'  o'  no  kinder  harm,  when  what 
should  I  see  but  a  barque  right  ahead.  '  Well/  says 


THE  DOWN-EASTER'S  DREAM.  199 

I  to  myself, '  old  feller,  you'd  better  be  makin'  tracks ;' 
and,  with  that,  I  blowed  up  all  the  salt  water  I  had 
in  me,  and  turned  flukes.  I  hadn't  been  down  very 
long  when  I  began  to  smother ;  so  I  had  to  come  up 
and  blow  agin.  Just  as  I  riz  to  the  top  o'  the  wa 
ter,  what  •should  I  hear  but  old  Tabor,  singin'  out 
with  all  his  might,  '  Thar'  she  blows  !  right  ahead  !' 
Sure  enough,  I  felt  myself  a  bio  win'  away,  and  not  a 
stare  could  I  move  till  I  blowed  all  the  water  out'n 
my  insides.  While  I  was  blowin'  away  like  a  steam- 
engine,  the  boat  fetched  hard  up  agin  me,  and  before 
I  knowed  what  he  was  about,  Tabor  stuck  an  iron 
chock  into  my  gizzard.  '  Stern  all !'  says  somebody, 
and  the  boat  flew  away  from  me  in  the  win  kin'  of 
an  eye.  Well,  I  began  to  pitch,  and  blow,  and 
wriggle  like  mad.  By'mby  I  felt  myself  a  givin'  out, 
so  I  hollers,  '  I'm  catched !  I'll  give  in  !'  but  twarn't 
no  sort  o'  use.  The  boat  comes  up  agin,  and  the 
second  mate  he  began  to  stick  a  lance  right  through 
my  head.  It  was  all  up  with  me.  I  spouted  blood 
in  less  than  no  time.  At  last  I  kicked  the  bucket, 
and  thar'  I  lay  on  my  back,  and  the  boat  towin'  me 
alongside  the  barque.  Arter  a  while  they  hauled 
up,  and  lashed  me  to  the  night-heads  by  the  flukes, 
and  to  save  my  life  I  couldn't  move.  But  I  hadn't 
felt  no  kind  o'  pain  till  they  got  to  cuttin'  me  in. 
Then,  by  gosh  !  how  they  did  rip  the  hide  off'n  me, 
and  how  the  sharks  did  pick  at  me,  and  how  they 
minced  me  all  up !  I  knowed  it  warn't  n-o  use  to 
holler,  so  I  jest  kept  as  quiet  as  I  could,  till  they  got 


200  THE  DOWN-EASTER'S  DREAM. 

me  in  the  tub  all  minced  up.  I  couldn't  keep  in  no 
longer,  when  I  seed  Tabor  with  a  great  long  fork, 
stic kin'  it  in  me  as  hard  as  he  could  drive.  I  tell 
you  what  it  is,  that  'ere  fork  looked  mighty  ugly. 
'  Tabor,'  says  I,  *  don't  stick  that  'ere  fork  in  me ;' 
but  he  wouldn't  mind  me  no  more  'an  i£  I  had  no 
feelin's  no  how.  Well,  the  next  place  I  found  my 
self  was  right  in  the  try-pots,  roastin',  and  boilin', 
and  fryin'  like  fury.  You  never  seed  such  a  steam 
as  I  sent  up.  I  jumped,  and  tore,  and  pushed,  and 
turned,  to  get  out,  but  thar  I  was.  My  eyes  !  how 
the  fat  worked  out'n  me — how  it  fizzed  in  the  pots  ! 
And  every  time  I  popped  up  I  seed  Tom,  and  Bul 
ly,  and  Charlie,  and  Bill,  and  a  half  dozen  more,  sit- 
tin'  on  the  windlass,  laughin'  at  me  fit  to  kill.  Onc't 
I  cotched  fire,  and  blazed  chock  up  to  the  topsail- 
yards.  The  cooper  and  Tabor  kept  stirrin'  me  up 
with  their  bloody  forks  and  spads,  and  now  and  agin 
the  capting  he  comes  along  and  gives  me  a  poke, 
and  says, '  That  'ere  oil  won't  do ;  stir  it  up  ;  he  airit 
brown  yit!  Well,  such  a  stirrin'  up  and  broilin'  as 
I  got  bangs  all  creation.  But  that  warn't  the  wust 
on't.  As  soon  as  pieces  o'  me  was  well  done,  they 
sticks  a  fork  in  'em,  and  pokes  'em  right  into  the  fire. 
My  gosh  1  how  I  fried  thar' !  At  last  I  got  red  hot ; 
I  couldn't  stand  it  no  longer.  My  dander  was  riz. 
So  I  hollers  to  somebody  to  pull  me  out,  thinkin'  the 
minute  I'd  get  out  I'd  give  all  hands  the  darndest 
kind  of  a  lickin'.  But  I'm  blowed  if  they'd  help 
me,  dod  burn  the  bit.  The  fust  thing  I  knowed  arter 


THE  DOWN-EASTER'S  DREAM.  201 

that,  was  somebody  jerkin'  me  by  the  ha'r,  and  all  at 
onc't  I  was  half  awake  ;  but  I  didn't  know  no  more 
whar'  I  was  than  if  I  was  nobody  at  all. 

"  Now  here  I  am,  and  I'll  give  you  my  opinion 
about  it.  I've  come  to  the  conclusion  it's  a  solemn 
warnin'  aginst  the  catchin'  of  whales.  Whales  has 
feeZin's  as  well  as  any  body.  They  dorit  like  to  be 
stuck  in  the  gizzards,  and  hauled  alongside,  and  cut  in, 
and  tryed  out  in  them  'ere  boilers  no  more  than  I  do; 
and  if  I  live  to  get  away  from  this  bloody  old  blub 
ber  hunter,  you  won't  see  me  in  no  sich  un-Christian 

business  while  my  name's  Barzy  M'F ;  not  this 

child,  you  won't." 

We  all  agreed  that  Barzy's  dream  capped  the  cli 
max  of  all  the  dreams  we  had  ever  heard,  and  in 
five  minutes  more  we  were  dreaming  ourselves. 

We  always,  in  fine  weather,  spent  our  dog-watches 
on  deck.  This  was  a  time  of  general  relaxation. 
While  the  crew  amused  themselves  dancing,  singing, 
and  spinning  yarns,  the  mate,  the  cooper,  and  Tabor 

discussed  Mormonism  in  the  waist.  D ,  the 

cooper,  was  a  tall,  gaunt  man,  lame  of  one  leg,  and 
very  singular  in  his  general  appearance.  He  was  a 
strong  advocate  of  the  Mormon  doctrine,  and  was 
continually  endeavoring  to  make  converts  to  his  re 
ligion.  The  mate  was  an  infidel,  who  deemed  all  re 
ligion  a  humbug.  Tabor  was  a  Methodist,  but  not 
very  strict  in  observing  the  codes  of  his  Church. 
These  long  arguments  were  very  amusing,  inasmuch 


C 


c 


202  SEA-PSALMODY. 

as  they  generally  resulted  in  an  angry  dispute.  Ta 
bor,  who  was  not  a  patient  reasoner,  whenever  he 
found  the  argument  turn  against  him,  would  con 
clude  by  striking  up,  in  a  voice  broken  by  exposure 
and  hard  service  at  the  mast-head, 

"  Come,  holy  Spirit,  heavenly  Dove, 
With  all  thy  quickening  powers  ;" 

or  sometimes,  for  the  sake  of  variety, 

"  Sing,  all  ye  nations,  to  the  Lord ! 
Sing  with  a  joyful  noise  !" 

"  I'm  blowed  if  you  know  any  thing  about  Mor- 
monisrn.  It's  all  a  bloody  humbug.  Come,  cooper, 
let's  all  join  and  have  a  hime  of  the  good  old  fire- 
and-brimstone  school." 

The  cooper,  easily  pacified,  and  the  mate,  caring 
little  what  he  did,  would  then  join  and  sing  hymns; 
and,  being  at  a  loss  for  suitable  airs,  they  were  no 
way  particular  whether  it  was  "  Hail  Columbia," 
"  Rousseau's  Dream,"  or  "  Yankee  Doodle."  These 
little  revivals  and  devotional  exercises  were  carried 
on  in  a  manner  perfectly  harmless,  though  not  with 
all  the  gravity  adapted  to  subjects  of  a  solemn  nature. 

The  captain  being  altogether  too  high  and  digni 
fied  a  character  to  associate  with  people  of  ordinary 
mold,  spent  most  of  his  time  in  the  cabin,  or  pacing 
the  quarter-deck  with  his  hands  in  his  pockets,  and 
his  head  down,  in  profound  thought  upon  the  mag 
nitude,  importance,  and  responsibility  of  his  situation 
as  master  of  a  whaling  barque  of  a  hundred  and 
forty-seven  tons  burden  !  We  often  speculated  upon 


"SINGLE    I    AM."  203 

the  cause  of  the  old  man's  single  blessedness  at  his 
time  of  life.  It  was  generally  admitted  that  he  was 
"  granny"  enough  without  a  wife  ;  but  his  stinginess 
was  evidently  the  true  cause.  I  found  in  a  copy 
of  Bowditch's  Navigation,  which  I  borrowed  from 
him,  a  kiss-verse  carefully  preserved  between  the 
leaves,  which  explained  his  sentiments  upon  matri 
mony,  to  the  great  amusement  of  us  all : 

«*  Single  I  am,  and  so  resolved  to  be, 
For  Hymen's  bands  shall  never  fetter  me." 

Mack,  the  "  down-easter,"  made  a  large  capital 
of  fun  out  of  this.  Whenever  the  captain  walked 
the  quarter-deck  with  an  air  of  more  than  usual  pro 
fundity  of  thought,  Mack  nodded  his  head  knowingly, 
and  muttered, 

"  Single  I  am,  and  so  resolved  to  be, 
As  long  as  ever  I  filler  the  sea.'1 

I  have  thus  endeavored  to  give  a  fair  sketch 
of  our  crew  and  officers.  I  have  no  feelings  of 
personal  animosity  against  any  of  them  to  gratify. 
Those  who  deserve  it  will  meet  the  punishment  of 
their  own  guilt,  and  it  is  not  for  me  to  pronounce 
judgment  upon  them.  I  give  the  result  of  my  own 
observation  freely  and  without  prejudice. 

The  last  subject  to  which  I  shall  here  allude  is 
that  of  ship-keeping.  In  whalers  there  is  a  ship- 
keeper,  or  a  man  who  attends  to  the  ship  when  the 
boats  are  lowered.  He  is  either  chosen  from  among 
the  fore-mast  hands,  or  shipped  at  the  port  from 
which  the  vessel  sails.  The  duty  of  the  ship-keeper 


204  SHIP-KEEPING. 

is  by  no  means  unimportant.  The  safety  of  the 
boats  frequently  depends  upon  his  vigilance  and 
knowledge  of  sea-craft;  and,  in  cases  of  accident, 
the  lives  of  the  boat's  crew  are  often  dependant  upon 
him.  It  is  the  duty  of  a  ship-keeper  to  keep  the  run 
of  the  whales  when  the  boats  are  lowered,  and  to 
make  the  various  signals  necessary  to  indicate  their 
situation  to  the  boats.  Our  signals  were  arranged  in 
the  following  order  : 

Whales  up.     Signal  at  the  main  top-gallant-mast. 

Whales  on  the  weather  bow.  Weather  clew  of  the 
fore-top-gallant-sail  or  fore-top-sail  up. 

Whales  on  the  lee  bow.     Lee  clew  up. 

Whales  on  the  weather  bea?n.  Weather  clew  of 
the  fore-top-gallant-sail  or  fore-top-sail  up,  and  waif 
pointed  to  windward. 

Whales  on  the  lee  beam.     Lee  clew  and  waif. 

Whales  ahead.     Jib  down. 

Whales  between  the  boats  and  ship.  Colors  at  the 
fore  and  main  top-gallant-masts. 

Boat  stove.     Colors  at  the  fore  and  mizzen. 

Come  aboard.     Colors  at  the  peak. 

In  small  vessels  the  ship-keeper  is  allowed  two 
hands  to  assist  him  in  working  the  ship;  but  the  num 
ber  depends  more  upon  the  state  of  the  weather  than 
the  size  of  the  vessel. 


CROSS    THE    EQUATOR.  205 


CHAPTER  XII. 

Cross  the  Equator. — Martin  Vas  Rocks. — Isle  of  Trinidad. — Bill 
Mann's  Account  of  Governor  Trinidad.  —  A  large  Albatross. — 
Right  Whale  Chase.— Christmas  Day.— Off  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope. — Tremendous  Gale. — Condition  of  the  Vessel. — Passage 
from  the  Cape  to  Madagascar. — Kill  a  Whale  off  Fort  Dauphin. — 
Cape  St.  Mary. — St.  Augustine's  Bay. — Cruise  in  the  Mozam 
bique  Channel. — A  Fight. — Two  Men  Flogged. 

November  I4th.  —  CROSSED  the  equator  at  two 
o'clock  P.M.,  in  longitude  23°  west. 

We  experienced  heavy  squalls  and  much  rain  on 
our  passage  to  the  southward. 

November  25th. — Made  Martin  Vas  Rocks  and 
the  Isle  of  Trinidad. 

Martin  Vas  Rocks  are  three  in  number,  and  pre 
sent  a  very  singular  appearance  at  the  distance  of 
a  few  leagues.  They  are  entirely  barren.  When 
first  visible  they  resemble  three  large  vessels  under 
full  sail,  but,  on  a  nearer  approach,  they  are  found  to 
be  jagged  rocks  jutting  abruptly  out  of  the  sea,  with 
continual  clouds  of  spray  dashing  up  from  the  bases, 
and  numbers  of  sea-birds  wheeling  around  their  sum 
mits. 

The  starboard  boat  was  lowered,  and  the  captain 
and  a  crew  of  Portuguese  went  into  a  little  cove  in 
the  main  rock  to  fish.  We  hauled  off  on  the  lar 
board  tack  about  three  leagues,  and  then  returned. 
The  boat  came  aboard  well  laden  with  rock-fish. 


206  TRINIDAD. 

TRINIDAD  is  a  small  island,  about  six  miles  in  cir 
cumference,  distant  twenty  miles  from  Martin  Vas 
Rocks.  It  is  uninhabited,  owing  to  the  scarcity  or 
bad  quality  of  the  water.  Whalers  and  other  vessels 
short  of  wood  sometimes  put  in  here  for  a  supply. 

Bill  Mann,  alias  Julius  Caesar,  had  visited  the  Isle 
of  Trinidad  before,  and  had  a  great  many  curious 
stories  to  tell  about  it.  Among  others,  he  gave  me 
an  account  of  a  wild  man  whom  the  vessel  to  which 
he  belonged  had  picked  up  there  under  the  following 
circumstances.  The  Champion  (the  name  of  the 
vessel)  sent  a  boat  ashore  for  wood.  On  the  return 
of  the  boat,  after  putting  to  sea,  a  fire  was  discover 
ed  on  the  highest  peak  of  the  island,  which  excited 
some  curiosity.  The  Champion  stood  in  for  the 
land  again,  and  sent  a  boat  ashore  to  discover  the 
cause  of  the  fire.  She  was  hailed  by  a  man  on  the 
beach,  who  was  taken  in  and  carried  aboard.  As 
soon  as  he  recovered  the  effects  of  his  unexpected 
delivery,  he  gave  the  following  narrative  of  his  ad 
venture  :  He  had  shipped  a  few  months  previously 
in  a  Boston  whaler,  and  was  very  badly  treated  by 
the  captain  and  his  officers.  This  determined  him  to 
desert  on  the  first  opportunity.  The  vessel  touched 
at  Trinidad,  and  sent  her  boats  ashore  for  wood. 
Having  succeeded  in  getting  ashore,  he  made  his 
escape  to  the  interior  of  the  island,  and  there  con 
cealed  himself  in  a  ravine  till  the  departure  of  the 
vessel.  For  six  weeks  he  subsisted  on  shell-fish,  tur 
tles,  and  craw-fish,  which  he  picked  up  on  the  beach. 


WILD    MAN.  207 

He  had  provided  himself  with  a  box  of  tinder  and 
some  matches,  which  he  found  of  great  use,  as  he 
was  compelled  to  light  a  fire  every  night  to  keep  the 
wild  hogs,  his  only  companions  on  the  island,  from 
devouring  him.  At  the  time  of  the  arrival  of  the 
Champion  he  chanced  to  be  on  the  opposite  side  of 
the  island.  Soon  after  her  departure,  he  discovered 
her  from  an  eminence.  His  disappointment,  upon 
finding  that  he  had  missed  the  only  opportunity  he 
should  perhaps  live  to  meet  with  of  escaping  the  fate 
that  threatened  him,  may  readily  be  conceived.  The 
distance  being  too  great  to  attract  her  attention,  he 
was  compelled  to  wait  till  dark.  He  then  built  a 
large  fire  on  an  elevated  rock,  which  she  perceived. 
Pie  was  soon  on  board,  rejoicing  in  his  happy  de 
livery.  Bill  described  this  modern  Crusoe  as  a  wild, 
uncouth-looking  fellow,  with  a  long  beard,  and  the 
eye  of  a  maniac.  His  sufferings  had  made  him  as 
ferocious  as  a  wild  beast.  The  crew  humorously 
gave  him  the  soubriquet  of  "  Governor  Trinidad,"  in 
commemoration  of  the  six  weeks  he  had  reigned  su 
preme  ruler  over  the  Isle  of  Trinidad. 

At  four  P.M.  we  set  sail  from  Martin  Vas  Rocks, 
steering  east-southeast,  the  weather  rough  and  hazy. 

December  19th. — In  the  latitude  of  the  Cape  of 
Good  Hope  we  caught,  with  a  hook  and  line,  an  al 
batross,  measuring  twelve  feet  between  the  tips  of 
the  wings.  The  mate  set  him  adrift  with  a  tally 
round  his  neck,  dated,  and  marked  with  the  name 
of  the  vessel. 


208  WHALE    CHASE. 

We  passed  during  the  day  the  carcasses  of  two 
whales,  surrounded  for  a  circuit  of  several  miles  by 
Cape  pigeons,  gulls,  Cape  hens,  and  albatrosses. 

December  2Ist. — Just  as  the  larboard  watch  was 
called  (at  twelve  M.),  the  man  at  the  mast-head  sung 
out,  "  There  she  blows  !"  I  had  turned  out,  and  was 
about  to  go  on  deck,  when  I  heard  the  word  given 
to  lower  away  the  mate's  boat.  During  our  watch 
below,  the  waist  boat  had  lowered  after  a  school  of 
finback  whales.  She  was  now  about  five  miles  off, 
in  the  midst  of  the  school.  The  watch  on  deck 
manned  the  larboard  boat,  leaving  six  or  eight  hands 
to  take  care  of  the  ship.  Scarcely  had  she  touched 
the  water,  when  the  whale  rose  within  a  few  yards 
of  our  lee  bow.  It  was  perfectly  calm ;  the  surface 
of  the  water  was  of  glassy  smoothness.  The  whale 
was  distinctly  visible  as  he  rose  to  blow. 

"  That's  a  right  whale  !"  said  the  captain,  who  had 
ascended  the  mizzen  shrouds  to  watch  the  move 
ments  of  the  boats.  "  Give  him  a  dart !  Don't  stave 
your  boat !" 

The  boat  was  close  upon  him  in  an  instant. 
Hitherto  he  seemed  unconscious  of  the  noise  and 
confusion  around  him,  or  of  his  proximity  to  the  ship. 
As  the  words  were  echoed  back  from  the  boat,  and 
the  splash  of  the  oars,  as  she  backed  away,  fell  upon 
his  ear,  he  seemed  to  be  a  little  alarmed,  and  turned 
flukes,  going  lazily  downward  in  a  diagonal  direc 
tion.  Antone,  the  boat-steerer,  let  fly  his  iron,  but 
the  distance  was  too  great,  and  it  took  no  effect. 


WHALE    CHASE.  209 

""  Oh  the  devil !"  shouted  the  captain,  in  a  tone 
of  disappointment ;  "I'd  have  given  five  dollars  for 
that  chance.  You  ain't  worth  your  salt,  you  two 
pence  head !" 

While  Antone  was  hauling  in  the  iron,  and  grum 
bling  at  his  bad  luck,  the  whale  took  a  little  circuit. 
He  was  visible  at  a  great  depth  through  the  trans 
parent  water.  The  man  at  the  mast-head  contin 
ually  indicated  his  position,  being  enabled  to  see  him 
at  the  depth  of  fifteen  or  twenty  fathoms.  He  rose, 
at  length,  within  a  few  feet  of  the  waist,  and  com 
menced  blowing. 

"  Pull  ahead !  pull  all !  now's  your  time  !"  cried 
the  mate. 

"  Pull  all !"  was  echoed  back  by  the  crew,  and  the 
boat  was  within  dart  of  him  in  three  or  four  strokes. 
Antone  was  so  eager  to  make  up  for  his  first  failure 
that  he  overshot  the  mark  this  time.  The  iron 
slightly  pricked  the  whale.  Plunging  down  again, 
the  huge  creature  milled  round  the  stern.  The  boat 
followed  close  in  his  wake ;  but  his  evolutions  were 
so  sudden  that  it  was  difficult  to  get  within  dart  of 
him.  In  about  ten  minutes  he  rose  directly  under 
the  jib-boom.  Antone  stood  ready  with  his  iron. 
Watching  his  opportunity,  he  darted  as  soon  as  the 
boat  cam-e  bow  across  the  head,  A  tremendous 
hollow  roar,  like  that  of  an  infuriated  bull,  issued 
from  the  wounded  monster.  The  blood  spouted  in 
torrents  from  his  wound.  Lashing  the  water  with 

DD 


210  WHALE    CHASE. 

his  flukes,  he  plunged  down,  covering  the  boat's 
crew  with  clouds  of  blood  and  spray. 

"  You've  killed  him  !  that  whale's  a  fool !"  cried 
the  captain. 

"  He's  dead  !  he's  dead  !"  shouted  An  tone,  greatly 
excited ;  "  I've  fixed  him  !" 

"  Dead  be  d — d  !  Clear  your  line  !"  thundered 
the  mate.  "  Hold  fast  now !  pull  two  oars !  back 
three  !  Pull  all,  now !  Mind  what  you're  about 
there,  Mack.  D'ye  want  to  get  stove  ?  Take  a 
reef  in  your  eyes,  and  keep  'em  aft  here." 

The  moment  the  line  was  made  fast,  the  boat 
dashed  right  under  our  stern  with  fearful  velocity. 
The  whale  sheered  off  barely  in  time  to  avoid  dash 
ing  the  boat  to  atoms  against  the  lee  quarter.  As 
he  rose  within  a  few  fathoms  of  the  ship,  he  uttered 
another  frightful  roar,  and  the  blood  streamed  from 
him  in  torrents,  discoloring  the  water  entirely  around 
the  vessel,  so  that  she  actually  appeared  to  float  in 
a  gory  sea.  It  was  evident,  however,  that  no  vital 
part  had  yet  been  touched.  The  mate  now  sprang 
to  the  bow  of  the  boat,  shouting,  "Pull,  my  lads, 
pull !"  Before  the  crew  could  stop  her  headway, 
the  whale's  head  rose  about  six  feet  out  of  the  wa 
ter,  within  half  a  dart  of  the  boat.  Shooting  out  his 
lance,  the  mate  gave  him  a  gentle  prick  on  the  nose  ; 
and  dashing  down  with  a  hollow  groan,  the  goaded 
monster  made  straight  for  the  ship,  towing  the  boat, 
with  incredible  swiftness,  toward  the  weather  beam. 
For  a  moment  I  thought  nothing  could  save  her. 


WHALE    CHASE.  211 

Her  bow  was  not  more  than  six  feet  from  the  vessel, 
when  the  whale  suddenly  milled,  and  thus  saved 
her,  and  perhaps  the  lives  of  some  of  the  crew. 

"  Stand  by  to  lower  the  starboard  boat !"  cried  the 
captain.  "Til  have  that  whale.  Til  see  whether 
he  can  be  killed  or  not.  Til  not  lose  a  good 
chance.  He  won't  have  a  fool  to  deal  with  if  1  get 
within  dart  of  him.  Stand  by  all !  Man  the  dant 
tackles,  and  lower  away  !" 

A  moment  more,  and  the  starboard  boat  was  in 
hot  pursuit.  Bill  Mann  and  I  were  left  to  take  care 
of  the  ship  this  time  :  a  circumstance  which  I  did 
not  regret,  as  the  sun  was  pouring  down  with  a 
burning  intensity.  I  went  to  the  mast-head,  that  I 
might  enjoy  a  better  view  of  the  chase.  It  was  now 
truly  exciting.  We  hoisted  a  signal  for  the  waist 
boat,  then  about  three  miles  from  the  scene  of  ac 
tion.  The  mate's  boat  ploughed  the  water  at  the 
rate  of  ten  knots  an  hour,  and  increased  in  speed  as 
pain  gave  fresh  impulse  to  the  whale.  In  about  an 
hour  the  three  boats  were  in  a  line,  running  to  the 
leeward  at  a  brisk  rate.  The  larboard  boat  was 
head-and-head  with  the  whale  at  his  next  rising,  and 
the  waist  boat  rapidly  bearing  down  upon  him  in  an 
opposite  direction.  Ere  the  lances  of  either  could 
be  made  use  of,  he  rolled  over  in  his  agony,  and 
parted  the  iron  of  the  fast  boat  with  a  furious  strug 
gle.  He  then  sounded,  leaving  the  three  boats  in  a 
whirlpool  of  blood  and  foam.  When  next  seen,  he 
was  spouting  blood  a  mile  off;  but  it  was  so  late  in 


212  STARVED    CHRISTMAS. 

the  evening  that  the  captain  gave  up  the  chase,  and 
ordered  the  boats  to  return.  Thus  ended  our  first 
right  whale  chase. 


Finback.  2.  Right  whale.        3.  Sperm  whale. 

December  25th. — This  was  a  day  of  general  star 
vation  and  discontent.  I  had  never  spent  such  a 
Christmas  before,  and  I  devoutly  trust  I  never  shall 
again.  At  sunrise  I  went  to  the  mast-head.  The 
weather  was  raw  and  boisterous,  and  the  sea  very 
rough.  I  had  three  hours  aloft,  after  which  I  was 
relieved  by  one  of  the  Portuguese,  and  went  down 
to  enjoy  the  luxuries  of  a  cold  pot  of  coffee  and 
some  hard  biscuit.  At  dinner-time  there  was  no 
meat  for  us  fit  to  eat,  and  the  cook  had  spoiled  the 
"  duff"  Some  of  the  crew  went  aft  to  the  captain, 
and  complained  that,  as  it  was  Christmas-day,  we 
ought  to  have  something  to  eat;  but  the  captain 
did  not  seem  to  consider  any  such  luxury  as  eating 
and  drinking  at  all  due  to  the  crew  of  a  whaler ;  so 
we  were  compelled  to  take  a  reef  in  our  belts  and 
wait  patiently  till  supper-time.  We  fared  little  bet 
ter  then,  being  short  of  meat,  and  having  tea  unfit 
for  use. 


TERRIBLE    GALE.  213 

December  29th. — About  two  P.M.  we  crossed  the 
meridional  line  which  divides  the  Atlantic  from  the 
Indian  Ocean,  in  lat  37°  19'  south.  From  five  P.M. 
till  three  A.M.  we  lay  becalmed. 

January  Sth,  1843. — For  the  first  time  since  the 
beginning  of  the  year,  I  am  enabled  to  pen  a  line  in 
my  journal. 

On  the  first  of  January,  a  severe  gale  arose  from 
the  southwest.  The  weather  had  been  extremely 
cold  for  several  days  previously,  and  the  threatening 
aspect  of  the  clouds  gave  us  due  warning  of  the  gale. 
We  were  obliged  to  take  down  the  top-gallant-masts 
before  night.  At  nine  P.M.,  furled  the  spanker  and 
gib,  close-reefed  the  top-sails,  and  soon  after  furled 
the  fore-sail  and  main-sail.  The  gale  continued  to 
increase  every  hour.  At  midnight  all  hands  were 
called  to  take  in  the  waist  boat.  This  was  a  very 
difficult  job,  as  the  sea  broke  over  the  vessel  with 
such  tremendous  force  as  to  render  it  almost  impos 
sible  to  hoist  her  off  the  cranes  without  staving  her 
to  atoms  against  the  bulwarks.  After  an  hour's  hard 
labor,  we  got  her  bottom  up  on  the  try- works,  where 
she  was  securely  lashed.  Next  evening  we  took  in 
the  larboard  and  starboard  boats,  and  lashed  them  to 
the  ringbolts  on  the  quarter-deck.  On  the  morning 
of  the  third  the  sea  raged  with  all  its  fury,  washing 
the  decks  fore  and  aft.  Every  stitch  of  sail  except 
the  main  spencer  and  fore-top-mast  stay-sail  was  tak 
en  in.  The  condition  of  the  ship  at  this  time  baffles 
description.  Every  sea  dashed  through  the  scuttle 


214        BEAUTY  OF  THE  FORECASTLE. 

and  drenched  the  forecastle,  flooding  our  beds,  and 
tearing  our  chests  from  their  elects.  For  four  days 
we  knew  nothing  of  the  comfort  of  a  dry  bed,  a 
change  of  clothes,  or  a  regular  hour's  rest.  Eating  a 
comfortable  meal  was  a  species  of  enjoyment  pleas 
ant  enough  to  reflect  upon,  but  with  us  a  thing  of  by 
gone  days.  The  barque  rolled  so  violently  in  the 
trough  of  the  sea,  that  it  was  difficult  to  sit  down 
without  being  pitched  headlong  from  one  side  of  the 
forecastle  to  the  other.  Pots,  pans,  spoons,  and  kids 
flew  through  the  air  like  hail;  and  occasionally  a 
dirty  piece  of  pork,  a  scrap  of  hard  biscuit,  or  a  pot 
of  muddy  coffee,  might  be  seen  making  a  desperate 
attempt  to  escape  the  extended  jaws  of  half  a  dozen 
hungry  Portuguese.  We  all  ate  below ;  and  if  ever 
there  was  a  miniature  representation  of  the  Black 
Hole  of  Calcutta,  it  was  the  forecastle  of  the  Styx. 
The  scuttle  was  made  as  close  as  possible,  to  keep 
out  the  heavy  seas,  but  it  also  excluded  the  light  and 
fresh  air.  Some  of  us  lay  sprawling  on  the  floor, 
gasping  for  a  breath  of  pure  air ;  others  lay  in  their 
bunks,  braced  up  with  logs  of  wood  at  each  side  to 
keep  them  from  rolling  out.  The  Portuguese  chat 
tered  at  the  highest  pitch  of  their  shrill  voices, 
drowning  even  the  roaring  of  the  gale.  Bill  Mann 
growled  worse  than  ever.  "He'd  be  everlastingly 
shivered  from  clew  to  earing,  if  it  wasn't  the  cussedest 
old  tub  he  ever  sailed  in.  Shiver  his  top-lights  if  he 
wouldn't  like  to  see  her  sink.  He'd  seen  vessels  be 
fore — yes,  he  had,  all  sorts ;  and  he  had  sailed  in  all 


COMMENTS    ON    THE    SAME.  215 

sorts,  and  he  had  taken  it  rough  and  tumble  in  all 
sorts  of  weather,  but  a  bloody  old  blubber  hunter 
beat  all,  particularly  when  men  got  nothing  to  eat, 
and  lived  on  hard  work,  and  hadn't  a  forecastle  fit 
for  a  hog  to  waller  in.  That  was  the  way  to  tell  it. 
Yes,  and  he'd  let  the  counsel  know  how  things  was 
done,  at  the  first  port ;  and  if  he  didn't  see  a  counsel 
there,  he'd  let  the  President  of  the  United  States 
know  it,  when  he  got  home,  if  he  ever  should  get 
home,  in  such  a  dirty,  lubberly,  crazy,  rotten  old 
craft." 

It  was  really  interesting  to  witness  the  effects  of 
continual  annoyances,  privations,  and  hardships 
upon  the  different  characters  in  the  forecastle  at  a 
time  like  this.  Jack  Smith,  the  rolicking,  boister 
ous  young  Englishman,  told  the  most  marvelous 
stories  of  the  perils  he  had  undergone  on  divers  oc 
casions,  and  swore,  with  a  torrent  of  the  most  awful 
oaths,  that  for  nineteen  days  he  lay  on  his  back  once, 
upon  a  plank  in  the  middle  of  the  sea,  without  any 

thing  to  eat  or  drink.     Barzy  M'F seemed  to 

look  upon  all  the  dangers  and  hardships  of  a  gale  as 
something  highly  pleasant  and  amusing,  but  "  he 
didn't  know  as  he'd  ever  seed  any  thing  like  it  up 
the  Kennebea"  Bully  employed  himself  quarreling 
with  the  Portuguese  part  of  his  time,  and  part  yell 
ing  at  the  top  of  his  voice  snatches  of  obscene  songs 
or  watch-house  ditties.  Charley  smoked  his  pipe 
and  mended  his  clothes.  Tom  Vernon  sat  with  his 
face  buried  in  his  hands,  meditating  upon  past  times, 


216  STUDY    NAVIGATION.. 

and  apparently  unconscious  of  every  thing  around 
him.  I  pitied  the  poor  lad  from  the  bottom  of  my 
heart,  for  my  feelings  were  in  unison  with  his. 

On  the  evening  of  the  sixth,  the  gale  fell  off  to>  a 
good  steady  breeze.  Next  day  we  got  up  the  top 
gallant  yards,  and  set  the  studding  sails. 

Very  little  worthy  of  record  occurred  on  our  pass 
age  from  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  to  Madagascar. 
The  weather  was  generally  rough,  and  I  had  few 
opportunities  of  writing  or  reading.  I  commenced 
the  study  of  navigation,  however,  soon  after  we  en 
tered  the  Indian  Ocean.  Mr.  P ,  the  second 

mate,  who  had  all  along  been  a  very  kind  friend  to 
me,  lent  me  a  copy  of  Bowditch's  Navigator,  and  al 
lowed  me  the  use  of  his  instruments.  Aided  by  a 
little  instruction  from  him,  I  soon  mastered  the  ele 
mentary  branches  of  navigation,  a  science  with 
which  every  sea-farer  ought  to  make  himself  ac 
quainted,  whether  before  the  mast  or  aft.  My 
watches  below  were  divided  between  this  study  and 
patching  my  clothes,  which  had  suffered  considera 
ble  wear  and  tear  in  the  late  gales. 

Toward  the  latter  part  of  January,  while  steering 
for  Fort  Dauphin,  Madagascar,  under  lower  and  top 
mast  studding  sails,  the  man  at  the  top-gallant  cross- 
trees  saw  a  spout  two  miles  off  the  weather-bow. 
The  studding  sails  were  hauled  in,  the  main-top-sail 
hauled  aback,  and  the  three  boats  lowered.  Our 
boat  got  the  start,  but  came  upon  the  whale's  eye  as 
he  rose  the  second  time.  The  starboard  boat  lay 


WHALE  TAKEN. MADAGASCAR.        217 

off,  and  took  him  head  and  head,  so  that  she  was 
ready  to  strike  the  moment  he  appeared,  and  succeed 
ed  in  making  fast  with  one  iron.  The  mate's  boat 
came  up  next ;  then  ours.  We  gave  him  two  irons, 
but,  in  backing  off  the  line,  got  foul  of  the  starboard 
boat,  and  were  obliged  to  cut  away.  We  hauled 
up  by  the  other  line,  and  gave  him  a  lance  or  two, 
which  dispatched  him  in  a  few  minutes. 

Owing  to  the  roughness  of  the  sea,  we  had  much 
difficulty  in  getting  our  prize  alongside.  This  whale 
yielded  forty-five  barrels  of  oil,  which  is  considered 
a  medium  size.  The  largest  sperm  whale  I  ever 
heard  of  yielded  a  hundred  and  twenty  barrels.  In 
the  Indian  Ocean  whales  of  that  size  are  not  so  com 
mon  as  in  the  Pacific. 

January  28th. — While  trying  out  our  last  whale 
we  made  Madagascar,  in  the  vicinity  of  Fort  Dau 
phin.  The  coast  here  is  high,  and,  in  parts,  bold  and 
mountainous.  At  the  distance  of  forty  miles  the  land 
was  covered  with  hazy  clouds,  giving  it  a  very  beau 
tiful  appearance.  We  cruised  off  and  on  for  a  few 
days  in  search  of  whales ;  but  although  we  saw  sev 
eral  schools,  they  were  making  a  rapid  passage  for 
the  bays  on  the  coast  of  Africa,  and  gave  us  no 
chance  for  a  chase. 

February  2d. — Rounded  Cape  St.  Mary,  the  most 
southerly  point  of  Madagascar.  The  coast  here  is 
very  low.  Running  down  the  eastern  side  of  the 
cape,  we  approached  within  fifteen  miles  of  the  shore, 
at  which  distance  we  could  discern  the  huts  of  the 

EE 


218  MOZAMBIQUE   CHANNEL. 

natives  scattered  along  the  beach,  and  occasionally  a 
canoe. 

February  §th. — After  a  short  cruise  in  Mozam 
bique  Channel,  ran  down  for  Madagascar,  which  we 
made  a  few  leagues  to  the  southward  of  St.  Augus 
tine's  Bay.  At  ten  A.M.  made  Sandy  Island,  or  Nos 
Vey,  a  low  sand-bar,  covered  with  a  small  growth  of 
trees,  lying  seven  miles  off  the  mouth  of  the  bay.  A 
coral  reef,  lying  near  the  entrance  of  the  bay,  is  seen 
from  the  eastward  of  Nos  Vey.  We  passed  close 
along  this  little  island  with  the  intention  of  anchor 
ing  ;  but  finding  no  vessels  in  port,  the  captain  deem 
ed  it  prudent  not  to  trust  to  the  friendly  invitations 
of  the  natives,  who  crowded  down  to  the  shores  in 
great  numbers,  and  hundreds  of  whom  were  rapidly 
pulling  toward  us  in  a  large  flotilla  of  canoes.  The 
Sacklaves,  a  tribe  of  the  Malegashy  inhabiting  this 
part  of  the  island,  are  described  as  a  race  of  blood 
thirsty  and  treacherous  people,  very  friendly  when  a 
large  number  of  vessels  are  in  port,  but  not  to  be 
trusted  alone  or  without  being  well  armed.  Mr. 

P ,  Our  second  mate,  had  spent  nearly  a  month 

in  St.  Augustine's  Bay.  He  was  well  acquainted 
with  the  character  of  the  natives,  and  had  seen  a 
shipmate  of  his  murdered  by  a  gang  of  them  for  at 
tempting  to  recover  some  stolen  property. 

At  four  P.M.  we  hauled  off,  and  continued  our 
passage  up  the  Mozambique  Channel. 

It  was  expressly  laid  down  in  the  code  of  laws 
which  the  captain  gave  us  a  few  days  after  we  left 


BELLIGERENT    FRIENDSHIP.  219 

New  Bedford,  that  any  fighting  that  was  to  be  done 
would  be  promptly  attended  to  by  himself.  Up  to 
the  time  we  touched  at  Fayal  the  forecastle  was  tol 
erably  peaceful.  Bully  had  raised  a  few  fights  with 
the  Portuguese,  but  they  ended  without  much  per 
sonal  damage  to  the  belligerents.  When  Jack  Smith, 
the  young  Englishman,  was  shipped,  our  trouble 
commenced  in  reality.  Jack  and  Bully  were  sworn 
friends  the  moment  they  met.  They  went  shares  in 
every  thing.  Whatever  was  Bully's  was  Jack's,  and 
whatever  was  Jack's  belonged  to  all  hands  in  general, 
and  Bully  in  particular.  For  the  first  two  or  three 
days  it  was  truly  an  interesting  study  to  watch  the 
progress  of  a  spontaneous  friendship  between  these 
two  affectionate  youths.  They  made  presents  to 
each  other,  spun  yarns  to  each  other,  sang  together, 
and  bunked  together.  Their  friendship  was  so  sud 
den  and  violent  that  I  very  much  feared  it  would  be 
of  short  duration.  A  week  realized  all  my  solicitude. 
They  quarreled,  cursed  each  other,  parted  the  bond 
of  fellowship,  and  became  bitter  enemies.  In  a  few 
days  they  made  up  again,  and  were  more  devoted 
in  their  friendship  than  ever.  Their  next  quarrel 
was  more  violent  than  the  first,  and  they  did  not 
speak  a  word  to  each  other  for  a  week.  However, 
they  made  up  again,  and  thus  continued,  quarreling 
and  making  up,  daring  each  other  to  fight,  and  back 
ing  out  when  it  came  to  the  pinch.  These  quarrels 
kept  the  forecastle  in  a  perfect  ferment.  There  was 
no  peace  from  one  week's  end  to  another.  Being 


220  A    QUARREL. 

well  matched  in  size  and  strength,  neither  wished  to 
be  the  aggressor.  At  length  an  accident  gave  them 
a  fair  opportunity  to  test  their  pugilistic  powers. 

One  morning,  while  we  were  cruising  in  the  Mo 
zambique  Channel,  after  the  word  was  passed  for 
breakfast,  Jack  started  to  run  down  the  ladder  with  a 
pot  of  hot  coffee.  Bully  had  just  turned  out,  and 
was  running  up.  The  two  heroes  came  in  contact. 
Bully  got  scalded,  and,  under  the  influence  of  the 
pain,  struck  Jack.  Upon  this  both  parties  closed, 
and  a  desperate  fight  ensued.  They  had  it  up  and 
down  the  forecastle,  right  and  left,  here  and  there, 
for  about  ten  minutes,  when  Jack  took  a  foul  hold 
on  Bully. 

"  Let  me  go  !"  roared  Bully. 

"  Cry  enough  !"  said  Jack. 

"  I  won't !  let  me  go  !"  rejoined  Bully. 

"  Blow  me  if  I  do  !"  retorted  Jack ;  and  there  was 
another  scuffle  for  five  or  ten  minutes.  At  length 
Bully  got  clear,  and  clinched  Jack  by  the  shirt  col 
lar.  Pressing  his  knuckles  hard  upon  Jack's  neck, 
he  continued  to  tighten  his  grasp  till  Jack's  face 
turned  purple. 

"  Cry  enough  !"  shouted  Bully. 

"  Give  me  a  chance !"  replied  Jack,  gasping  for 
breath. 

"  Are  you  licked  ?"  demanded  Bully. 

"  Not  yet !"  said  Jack.  "  Give  me  a  knife,  some 
body,  or  cut  my  shirt  open.  Cut !  cut !  I'm  chok- 
ing!" 


A  FLOGGING.  221 

"  Choke  and  be  d— d !"  said  Bully. 

The  advantage  was  rather  on  Bully's  side,  when 
the  mate  came  up  to  the  scene  of  action,  and  knock 
ed  him  down. 

"  Now  take  that  for  a  foul  hold  !"  said  the  mate. 

"  Mr.  D ,  if  there's  law  in  America,  I'll  have 

it !"  said  Bully. 

"  Don't  law  me,  you  infernal  scoundrel !" 

"  You'll  pay  for  this  when  you  get  home,  sir !" 

"  None  of  your  jaw  !" 

"  I'll  have  revenge  for  that  blow  !" 

"  You  will,  will  you  1"  shouted  the  mate,  rushing 
upon  him  again.  Bully  dodged,  and  made  his  escape. 
As  soon  as  the  mate  went  aft,  Bully  and  Jack  went 
to  the  waist  to  wash  the  blood  off  their  faces.  The 
captain  perceiving  what  had  occurred,  called  them 
aft,  and,  without  any  comment,  ordered  them  to  sit 
one  on  each  side  of  the  companion  way.  When 
breakfast  was  over  in  the  cabin,  the  captain  came  on 
deck,  and  sang  out  for  the  mate. 

"  Mr.  D ,  call  all  hands  aft.  Come  down  from 

the  mast-head,  every  body." 

It  was  my  trick  at  the  helm,  so  that  I  had  an  ex 
cellent  opportunity  of  witnessing  the  whole  scene. 
The  hands  being  ranged  at  the  break  of  the  quarter 
deck,  and  the  boat-steerers  by  the  main-mast,  the 
two  belligerents  were  called  up  to  give  an  account 
of  themselves. 

"Blair,  what  have  you  been  fighting  for?"  de 
manded  the  captain. 


222  A   FLOGGING. 

Here  Bully  gave  his  statement  of  the  difficulty. 

"  Jack,  what  have  you  been  fighting  for  ?" 

Jack  stated  the  case  very  fairly. 

"Now,"  said  the  captain,  "you've  been  fighting, 

and  I'll  flog  you  both.  Mr.  D ,  seize  those  men 

up !" 

Jack's  wrists  were  lashed  to  a  ratlin  on  the  star 
board  side,  and  Bully's  to  a  ratlin  on  the  larboard. 
The  captain  then  provided  himself  with  a  piece  of 
tarred  ratlin,  and,  striding  up  to  Bully,  bared  the 
man's  back. 

"  Remember,  now,  this  is  for  fighting." 

"  Oh,  for  God's  sake,  don't  flog  me,  captain  !"  said 
Bully,  sensible  of  the  degradation  of  the  punishment 
about  to  be  inflicted  on  him. 

"  Not  a  word  !"  said  the  captain,  whose  blood  was 
boiling  with  passion.  Take  that !  and  that !  and 
that !  Do  you  feel  it  \  Will  you  fight  again  ?" 

Poor  Bully  groaned  and  writhed  with  agony. 
Each  stripe  of  the  ratlin  raised  a  blood-red  mark  on 
his  back. 

"  I'll  show  you  how  to  fight !"  roared  the  captain, 
swinging  the  ratlin  over  his  shoulder,  and  raising  the 
stripes  with  every  blow.  "  I'll  make  an  example  of 
you  !  Take  warning,  all  of  you.  You  see  what  you 
get  for  fighting.  If  that  ain't  enough,  I'll  lay  it  on 
heavier  next  time.  I'll  skin  your  back  worse  than 
that !  Cut  him  down  now  !  See  if  he'll  behave 
himself!" 

Jack's  turn  came  next.  At  the  first  stroke  he  yell 
ed  with  all  his  might. 


A  FLOGGING.  223 

"  Oh  Lord,  captain  !  Oh,  for  God's  sake  !  Oh, 
don't  flog  me  !  I'll  never  fight  again." 

"  I'll  take  care  you  won't.  If  you  do,  I'll  lay  you 
up  for  a  month.  Your  back's  been  itching  for  a  flog 
ging.  Now  take  it !  Take  that !  take  that !  Yes, 
you  feel  it,  don't  you  ?  Cut  him  down,  Mr.  D ." 

The  mate  having  cut  both  the  men  down,  gave 
them  a  hint  to  go  forward,  which  they  did,  limping 
along  the  decks,  scarcely  able  to  walk. 

"  That's  what  you'll  all  get,"  said  the  captain,  ad 
dressing  the  crew,  "  if  there's  any  more  quarreling. 
I  told  you  so  in  the  beginning.  Any  of  you  that 
fight,  Til  flog.  Go  forward  now,  where  you  be- 
long." 

I  was  much  astonished,  upon  going  forward,  after 
being  relieved  at  the  helm,  to  find  Jack  sitting  on  the 
windlass  eating  his  breakfast  with  the  utmost  good 
humor. 

"  Well,  B ,"  said  he,  looking  up  and  laughing, 

"  I've  got  a  licking,  but  Tm  used  to  it.  I  don't  care 
a  tinker's  d — n  about  lickin's  now.  I  served  my  ap 
prenticeship  to  'em  in  a  man-o'-war." 

Not  so  with  Bully,  who  for  several  days  was 
gloomy  and  silent.  The  Portuguese,  with  a  heart- 
lessness  and  want  of  delicacy,  so  unlike  the  gener 
ous  regard  which  the  true  American  sailor  has  for 
another's  feelings  under  such  circumstances,  con 
tinually  ridiculed  and  taunted  him,  mocking  his 
groans,  and  crying  out  every  time  he  went  below  to 
his  meals,  "  Oh,  capitan,  for  God's  sake,  no  flog  so 


224  ISLE    OF    MAKUMBA. 

hard  !"  Jack  took  their  ridicule  with  perfect  indif 
ference  ;  but  it  cut  Bully  to  the  quick.  There  was 
something  diabolical  and  fiendish  in  this  conduct  of 
the  Portuguese.  Bully  was  so  completely  crest-fallen 
that  he  could  not  retort  upon  them  ;  from  the  day  he 
received  the  flogging  his  spirit  was  broken. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

Isle  of  Makumba. — Wood-cutting  and  Hot  Weather. — Arrival  at 
Bembatooka  Bay. — Town  of  Majunga. — American  Traders. — 
Natives. — Liberty  Ashore. — Grand  Dance. — Dinner  at  Mohammed 
Desharee's. — Quarrel  between  the  Captain  and  Mate. — Great 
Fete  in  Honor  of  the  Governor. — Ambolamboes  and  Sacklaves. — 
Departure  from  Madagascar. 

March  6th. — Made  Makumba,  a  small  island  lying 
within  four  or  five  leagues  of  the  main  island  of 
Madagascar. 

As  it  was  uncertain  how  soon  we  should  reach 
Bembatooka  Bay,  and  being  entirely  out  of  wood,  we 
were  compelled  to  run  the  risk  of  falling  into  the 
hands  of  the  natives  here,  who  frequent  this  island 
as  a  piratical  rendezvous,  where  they  can  intercept 
small  craft  bound  to  Bembatooka  Bay.  The  waist- 
boat's  crew  had  wratch  below ;  and  it  being  the  rule 
for  those  who  were  off  duty  to  go  ashore,  or  on  any 
expedition  like  the  present,  I  was  lucky  enough  to 
be  among  the  number  chosen  for  this  adventure. 


LANDING    FOR  WOOD.  225 

The  larboard  boat  was  lowered,  and  manned  by  Ta 
bor,  Jack  Smith,  myself,  and  three  or  four  Portu 
guese,  with  the  captain  to  ornament  the  stern  sheets. 
The  island  did  not  appear  to  be  more  than  two 
leagues  off  when  we  started ;  but,  after  pulling  hard 
for  about  an  hour,  it  seemed  quite  a-s  far  from  us  as 
when  we  were  on  the  deck  of  the  barque.  Whether 
this  fact  was  owing  to  a  head  wind  or  an  ebb  tide,  I 
could  not  say.  It  reminded  me  of  an  island  I  had 
read  of  in  a  beautiful  lake  presenting  a  thousand  at 
tractions,  but  always  receding  from  those  wrho  at 
tempted  to  reach  its  favored  shores.  Sometimes  I 
fancied  I  could  see  the  pebbles  on  the  beach ;  the 
next  moment  it  seemed  as  far  away  as  ever.  In  ad 
dition  to  the  fatigue  of  rowing  under  a  burning  sun, 
we  had  a  still  greater  difficulty  to  contend  with.  Our 
water  keg  was  nearly  empty.  Captain  A rec 
ommended  us  to  be  very  sparing  of  what  we  had, 
as  there  was  no  water  on  the  island.  In  about  three 
hours  from  the  time  of  starting,  we  hauled  the  boat 
up  on  a  white  sand  beach.  The  captain  cautioned 
us  not  to  lose  sight  of  the  boat,  and  then  ordered  us 
to  take  our  axes  and  start  off  in  search  of  wood.  I 
must  confess,  when  I  got  out  of  the  "  old  man's" 
sight,  I  thought  very  little  about  the  savages  or  the 
wood.  The  novelty  and  excitement  of  exercising 
my  limbs  once  more  on  land,  after  being  cooped  up 
for  several  months  in  a  small  barque,  were  so  great 
that  I  ran  up  the  cliffs  like  a  wild  Indian,  leaving  my 

F  p 


226  WILD  SCENERY. 

comrades  behind  me,  and  shouting  for  pure  joy.    In 
my  ramble  I  soon  lost  sight  of  the  boat. 

The  shade  of  the  trees  in  the  interior  of  the  isl 
and  ;  the  tall,  luxuriant  grass ;  the  extreme  richness 
of  the  vegetation,  and  the  grateful  perfume  of  the 
wild  flowers,  were  all  indescribably  refreshing.  I 
grasped  up  bunches  of  weeds  to  enjoy  their  fra 
grance,  for  all  the  vegetable  creation  then  seemed 
fragrant  to  me.  Eager  to  see  every  thing  on  the 
island,  and  perceiving  no  traces  of  habitation,  I  as 
cended  the  peak,  or  highest  part,  from  which  a 
splendid  view  may  be  had  of  the  whole  island,  and 
the  adjacent  parts  of  the  coast  of  Madagascar. 
There  is  a  savage  wildness  in  the  prospect  peculiar 
ly  striking  to  one  who  had  never  gazed  upon  any 
save  the  familiar  scenery  of  civilized  countries.  The 
boat's  crew  appeared  like  little  black  specks  upon 
the  beach ;  and  their  voices,  mingled  with  the  roar 
ing  of  the  surf,  were  the  only  sounds  that  reached 
my  ear.  Far  away  on  the  horizon  floated  our  little 
barque,  which  had  drifted  from  land  till  her  hull  was 
barely  visible.  Clouds  piled  upon  clouds,  with 
bright,  silvery  outlines,  hung  over  the  distant  hori 
zon  in  the  most  gorgeous  array.  1  was  lost  in  the 
magnitude  and  sublimity  of  the  scene.  I  thought 
that  even  the  untutored  Sacklaves  must  gaze  with 
admiration  upon  such  a  manifestation  of  the  might 
and  power  of  the  Great  Spirit.  My  enthusiastic 
flights  of  imagination  were  suddenly  dissipated  by 
the  harsh  voice  of  the  captain,  shouting, 


TERRIBLE    THIRST.  227 

"  You  B ,  where  the  devil  are  you  V1 

"  Here,  sir." 

"  Go  down,  then,  and  help  to  get  the  wood  in  the 
boat." 

This  soon  convinced  me  that  I  had  been  day 
dreaming,  and  the  thought  that  I  was  still  a  slave 
was  depressing  enough  at  such  a  moment.  I  envied 
the  freedom  of  the  sea-gulls  as  they  wheeled  past 
me  in  their  sportive  flights ;  but  such  thoughts  were 
unavailing,  and  I  sprang  down  the  cliffs  with  my 
axe  on  my  shoulder,  to  aid  my  comrades  in  chop 
ping  the  wood  and  putting  it  into  the  boat.  The 
sun  shone  upon  the  beach  with  a  heat  so  intense  as 
to  blister  my  feet  through  my  shoes.  Parched  with 
thirst,  I  made  my  way  to  the  boat,  where  I  barely 
squeezed  enough  of  water  out  of  the  keg  to  wet  my 
lips.  The  rest  of  the  crew  suffered  dreadfully  from 
thirst.  Tabor,  as  usual,  in  a  good  humor,  told  us  to 
"grin  and  bear  it/''  and  he'd  insure  us  a  drink  of 
switchel  when  we  got  aboard.  After  we  had  pro 
cured  a  sufficient  supply  of  wood  to  last  us  to  Bem- 
batooka  Bay,  we  sat  down  on  the  beach  and  ate 
some  salt  pork  and  bread,  which  the  cook  had  stow 
ed  away  in  the  boat.  I  picked  up  several  shells 
and  pieces  of  coral  before  we  pushed  off,  as  relics 
of  my  visit  to  Makumba.  When  we  pulled  ashore 
we  had  the  land  breeze  to  contend  with ;  now  we 
had  the  sea  breeze  against  us.  This  was  very  pro 
voking.  We  were  all  tired  of  our  day's  work,  and 
parched  with  thirst. 


228  TERRIBLE    THIRST. 

The  barque  bore  down  for  the  island  as  soon  as 
she  took  the  sea  breeze,  and  was  rapidly  nearing 
us,  when  the  wind  died  away  again,  and  left  her  to 
drift  away  on  the  current.  I  found  that  the  salt 
pork,  instead  of  strengthening  me,  aggravated  my 
thirst  to  such  a  degree  that  I  actually  thought  my 
end  was  approaching.  The  heat  of  the  sun,  upon 
losing  the  breeze,  became  excruciating  in  its  intens 
ity.  How  I  got  over  the  horrors  of  that  evening  I 
can  hardly  tell.  I  held  out,  and  pulled  my  oar  as 
long  as  it  was  possible  to  endure  the  heat  and  thirst; 
for  I  would  not  be  outdone  by  any  of  my  comrades 
while  I  had  the  breath  of  life  in  my  body,  or  strength 
to  lift  the  oar.  At  this  crisis  a  light  breeze  again 
sprang  up,  and  we  lay  on  our  oars  till  the  vessel 
reached  us.  I  think  I  never  sprang  aboard  with 
more  joy  than  I  did  when  we  hauled  up  alongside, 
after  all  the  sufferings  of  that  day.  I  felt  an  undis 
guised  affection  for  every  old  rope,  shovel,  broom, 
and  handspike  aboard ;  and  even  the  smell  of  the 
try- works  was  agreeable  to  me.  Tabor,  true  to  his 
word,  had  us  a  bucket  of  switchel  made.  I  verily 
believe  I  drank  half  a  gallon  of  it  before  my  thirst 
was  slaked.  I  had  read  in  Mungo  Park's  travels, 
and  in  the  narratives  of  Denham  and  Clapperton,  of 
the  horrors  of  thirst  in  the  deserts  of  Africa ;  but  I 
never  really  sympathized  with  those  adventurers  till 
my  visit  to  Makumba  had  given  me  some  idea  of 
their  sufferings. 

March  8th. — Anchored  off  the  mouth  of  Bemba- 


BEMBATOOKA    BAY.  229 

tooka  Bay,  and  lowered  the  larboard  boat.  After  an 
hour's  hard  pull  against  an  ebb  tide  and  head  wind, 
we  rounded  Majunga  Point,  opposite  which  we 
stopped  to  take  soundings.  In  half  an  hour  more 
we  sounded  a  long  sand-spit,  just  above  the  town  of 
Majunga.  Crowds  of  the  inhabitants  came  running 
along  the  beach,  inviting  us  to  land.  They  wore 
turbans  of  all  colors,  and  long  flowing  robes  of  white 
cotton,  having  a  very  picturesque  appearance.  The 
moment  we  hauled  up  on  the  beach  we  were  greet 
ed  by  a  "  good-morning"  from  the  natives,  who  stood 
there  awaiting  our  approach.  The  captain  went  up 
in  search  of  two  American  traders,  who,  he  under 
stood,  had  been  left  at  Majunga  to  procure  cargoes 
of  hides  for  Salem  vessels.  I  was  quite  surprised  to 
hear  English  so  well  spoken  by  a  race  of  people  rep 
resented  by  travelers  as  rude  barbarians.  Several 
of  the  small  boys  seemed  to  be  so  proud  of  the  few 
words  they  had  learned  from  the  sailors,  that  they 
made  the  most  ludicrous  mistakes  in  their  attempts 
to  make  themselves  understood.  I  was  continually 
addressed  by  little  urchins,  not  more  than  nine  or 
ten  years  of  age,  in  the  following  strain : 

"  Me  speakee  bon  goot  Engleesh.  Me  sabe  plen 
ty  goot  much.  How  you  do  dees  morning  ?  Very 
well,  tank  you ;  me  much  wrorse  better  no  goot  go 
hell  Got  tarn  !  Hein  I  Hein  ?  You  tink  me  no 
sabe  plenty  Engleesh  V9 

Those  who  could  speak  the  most  intelligible  Eng 
lish  told  me  they  were  from  Johanna. 


230  MAJUNGA    NATIVES. 

M'F ,  who,  like  myself,  had  never  been  in  a 

savage  country  before,  was  very  anxious  to  see 
what  the  natives  looked  like,  and  how  they  were  off 
for  "fodder."  Taking  advantage  of  the  captain's 
absence  from  the  boat,  we  walked  down  along  the 
beach  to  the  outskirts  of  the  town,  where  we  would 
not  be  within  hailing  distance  in  case  we  were  im 
mediately  called ;  being  in  no  hurry  to  go  on  board 
again,  and  hoping  the  captain,  in  his  anger,  would 
leave  us  ashore  till  his  return  in  the  evening.  On 
reaching  the  lower  part  of  the  town,  we  saw  at 
a  short  distance  a  snug-looking  bamboo  hut,  sur 
rounded  by  banana  plants  and  a  few  straggling  co 
coa-nut  trees.  At  the  door  stood  two  or  three  of  the 
better  class  of  the  natives,  who  beckoned  us  to  ap 
proach.  We  did  not  altogether  like  the  looks  of 
one  of  the  party,  however,  a  tall,  ferocious-looking 
Ambolambo,  whom  I  took  to  be  a  chief,  from  the 
warlike  manner  in  which  he  was  equipped.  He 
was  of  a  dark  bronze  color,  naked  to  the  middle, 
with  the  exception  of  a  loose  robe  thrown  over  his 
left  shoulder,  and  with  a  most  extraordinary  head  of 
hair  frizzed  out  like  rope-yarns,  and  fantastically 
ornamented  with  feathers.  The  remainder  of  his 
costume  consisted  of  a  clouty  round  the  waist,  and 
a  striped  under-garment  of  native  manufacture.  In 
his  left  hand  he  held  a  long  spear,  the  pole  of  which 
rested  on  the  ground.  His  comrades  wore  turbans, 
and  were  apparently  of  a  different  tribe  or  caste. 
Knowing  nothing  of  the  character  of  these  people,  I 


MACK'S  DIALOGUE.  231 

was  somewnat  backward  about  trusting  myself  in 
their  power,  so  far  away  from  the  boat,  and  consult 
ed  Mack  as  to  the  prudence  of  going  any  nearer. 

"  Never  mind,"  said  the  "  down-easter ;"  "  lay  low 
and  keep  dark.  I'll  talk  to  that  'ere  feller.  You 
keep  close  in  my  wake,  though,  for  I  don't  like  the 
looks  on  'em  much  better  than  you  do." 

I  did  not  altogether  like  the  proposition  of  my 
comrade,  but  finding  him  resolute,  I  thought  it  would 
not  do  to  let  him  go  alone.  The  savage  chief  con 
tinued  making  signs  to  us  to  approach.  Mack  ac 
cordingly  hitched  up  his  breeches,  and  started  for 
the  hut,  I  keeping  close  by  his  side.  A  tall  cocoa- 
nut  tree  a  few  steps  in  front  of  the  chief  served  as  a 
sort  of  mark  for  a  truce  ground,  in  case  of  hostility. 
Doffing  his  hat,  Mack  stepped  up,  and  with  an  ex 
pression  of  mingled  apprehension  and  curiosity,  gaz 
ed  in  the  face  of  the  warlike  savage,  without  utter 
ing  a  word.  At  length,  apparently  satisfied  that 
there  was  no  danger  of  an  attack,  he  addressed  him 
in  the  most  polite  manner  imaginable :  "Good-morn 
ing,  mister !  how  d'ye  dew,  sir  ?" 

"  Ra  kaka  chee  tooka  whocha !"  growled  the  sav 
age  (or  something  that  sounded  very  much  like  this, 
for  I  do  not  pretend  to  give  his  remarks  literally). 

"  What  the  nation  does  the  feller  mean  V  inquir 
ed  the  "  down-easter,"  somewhat  puzzled.  "  Say 
that  again,  sir." 

"  Crak  koo  wanee  tee  cha  booz  !" 
Go 


232  MACK'S  DIALOGUE. 

"  Well,  if  that  ain't  the  darndest  lingo  I  ever 
heerd  !  I  say,  old  hoss,  can't  you  talk  American  ?" 

"  Merikkaan  I  num  whak  chee  taka-whee." 

"  No,  no  ;  not  that  thar'  outlandish  nigger  talk. 
American? 

"  Merikkaan,  si-mairre  !  si-mairre  !"  rejoined  the 
savage,  with  a  friendly  grin.  "  Goot,  goot,  mans !" 

"  That's  it,"  said  Mack.  "  I  know'd  you  could 
talk  it  if  you'd  only  hold  your  corn-trap  straight. 
Now,  old  feller,  suppose  you  stand  treat  ?  I'll  bet 
you've  got  some  liquor  in  thai*'  in  that  little  crib  o' 
yourn !  What  d'ye  say  1" 

"  Goot,  goot,  mans  !" 

"  Well,  then,  let's  have  it,  hoss." 

"  Merikkaan !" 

"  I  say,"  exclaimed  Mack,  a  little  out  of  patience, 
"tain't  no  use  to  be  a  foolin'.  If  you've  got  the 
liquor,  let's  have  it;  and  if  you  haven't,  say  so  at 
once.  Maybe  you  have  some  oranges  or  cocoa-nuts  ?" 

"  Orangee  t  cokko  1  chee  whoop  ee  !" 

"  She'll  whip  me  1  Oh,  now  I  know  what  he's 
at.  He's  afraid  his  wife'll  whip  him  if  he  lets  us 
have  any  thing.  Well,  we  may's  well  slope.  This 
feller  don't  know  beans  from  porridge,  no  how." 

"  Naka  whozchee  koo  !" 

"  Oh,  you  needn't  try  to  mend  it.  You're  nothin' 
but  a  dod-burned  nigger,  or  you  wouldn't  be  so 
mean." 

Hereupon  we  started  to  return  to  the  boat,  when 
the  chief,  advancing,  took  Mack  by  the  arm,  and 


BARZY  AND  THE  MADAGASCAR  CHIEF. 


DIDDLED    OF    HIS    JACK-KNIFE.  235 

in    a  very  friendly  manner    began   to    search   his 
pockets. 

"  Oh  ho  !  that's  your  game,  is  it  1  You'll  not  find 
much  thar',  I  tell  you." 

"  Goot,  goot,  mans  !"  exclaimed  the  savage,  pull 
ing  out  a  jack-knife. 

"  Well,  what' 11  you  give  for  it  ?  Come,  mister, 
I'm  ready  for  a  trade." 

"  Whaka  boo  vvhoo  !     Goot,  goot,  mans  !" 

"  You  can't  come  it  that  way,  no  how  you  can  fix 
it.  If  you  want  to  trade,  I'll  give  you  the  knife  for 
a  dozen  good  oranges ;  and  if  you  don't,  jest  hand 
it  back.  I  ain't  a  goin'  to  be  fooled,  no  way." 

"  Merikkaan  goot !" 

"  Dod  burn  you,  give  me  my  knife !"  shouted 
Mack. 

«  Goot !" 

"To  h — 1  with  jour  *  goot !'     I  want  my  knife." 

"  Merikkaan — " 

"  Look  here,  nigger !"  roared  Mack,  flinging  down 
his  hat  in  a  great  passion,  "  that  won't  do,  no  how. 
If  you  don't  give  me  my  knife  in  tolerable  short  or 
der,  I'll  be  into  you  about  as  quick  as  a  streak  of 
lightnin' !" 

"  Trokkoo  saab  kakakee,"  replied  the  chief,  coolly 
thrusting  the  knife  in  his  clouty. 

"  Well,  sir,"  said  the  Yankee,  picking  up  his  hat, 
"  I'll  let  you  off  this  time.  You  don't  know  no  bet 
ter.  But  I'll  tell  you  what  it  is,  if  I  catch  you  down 
any  whar'  nigh  the  boat,  I'll  give  you  one  of  the 


236  WRATH    THEREUPON. 

darndest  maulins  you  ever  had.  If  I  don't  mash 
your  ugly  figure-head  so  you  won't  know  whose  it 
is,  there'll  be  a  most  almighty  fight,  any  how.  Look 
out  for  it !  I  ain't  agoin'  to  be  cheated  by  any 
dod-burned  black- faced  nigger  no  way  you  can  fix 
it,  I  ain't." 

On  our  way  down  to  the  boat,  Mack  let  his  wrath 
loose  in  a  manner  so  entirely  original  that  I  could 
not  forbear  quizzing  him  about  the  loss  of  his  knife. 
This  made  him  very  angry,  and  he  protested,  if  I 
would  only  go  back  with  him  to  see  fair  play,  "  he'd 
give  that  nigger  a  lickin'  that  would  astonish  me. 
He'd  whale  his  soul-case  till  it  wouldn't  look  like 
any  thing  I'd  ever  set  my  eyes  on  before."  I  need 
hardly  say  I  declined  the  banter. 

The  captain  had  not  yet  arrived  at  the  boat. 
Jack,  in  whose  charge  we  had  left  it,  was  seated  in 
the  bow,  surrounded  by  a  crowd  of  the  natives,  with 
whom  he  was  carrying  on  a  rambling  conversation  in 
broken  English.  More  fortunate  than  Mack  or  my 
self,  he  had  succeeded  in  bartering  his  knife  for  a 
basket  of  oranges,  which  he  generously  shared  with 
us ;  and  we  spent  half  an  hour  entertaining  him  with 
a  history  of  our  adventure  with  the  chief. 

"  I  wish  I'd  ha'  been  there,"  said  Jack ;  "  I'll  war 
rant  you  he  wouldn't  ha'  got  off  so  easy.  I  wouldn't 
ask  better  fun  than  to  knock  the  bloody  lights  out 
of  him !" 

I  had  a  good  deal  of  curiosity  to  see  the  American 
traders,  having  been  nearly  five  months  without  see- 


MEETING    AMERICANS.  237 

ing  a  civilized  being,  except  on  board  the  barque; 
and  there  were  none  there  particularly  civilized.  I 
expected  a  hearty  reception  from  these  two  fellow- 
adventurers,  believing  that  the  sound  of  a  new  voice 
to  them  in  their  native  tongue  would  be  somewhat 
agreeable,  after  living  for  a  length  of  time  cut  off 
from  the  civilized  world.  Charley  and  myself  went 
up  to  the  town,  leaving  Jack,  with  a  crowd  of  na 
tives  around  him,  to  take  care  of  the  boat.  We 
found  the  captain  and  the  two  traders  seated  under 
the  portico  of  a  stone  house,  surrounded  by  great 
numbers  of  the  natives,  and  an  armed  posse  of  the 
governor's  soldiers.  One  of  the  Americans  was  a 
young  man  of  genteel  appearance  ;  the  other  an  el 
derly  man,  whom  I  took  to  be  an  Englishman,  but  I 
was  afterward  informed  he  was  a  citizen  of  Salem, 
Massachusetts.  They  both  regarded  us  with  a  cold 
look  of  indifference,  not  deigning  to  favor  us  with  a 
word.  I  had  forgotten  that  I  was  dressed  in  a  greasy 
whaling  suit  of  duck;  and  for  a  moment  I  could 
scarcely  realize  the  idea  of  American  citizens  meet 
ing  in  a  strange  land  without  the  least  indication  of 
that  courtesy  and  civility  which  are  the  proverbial 
characteristics  of  the  true  American.  That  they  were 
neither  Virginians  nor  Kentuckians  was  very  evi 
dent  ;  and,  besides,  had  I  reflected  upon  the  fact  that 
they  were  accustomed  to  keep  company  with  cap 
tains  and  other  officers,  I  might  have  known  that  poor 
Jack  could  not  reasonably  expect  any  token  of  rec 
ognition  from  them.  Still,  I  thought,  as  we  were 


238  RUN    INTO    THE    BAY. 

a  little  removed  from  the  discipline  of  the  ship,  they 
ought  not  to  have  suffered  the  natives  to  outdo  them 
in  good  feeling  and  courtesy  toward  strangers.  . 

After  the  captain  had  obtained  some  information 
relative  to  the  town,  and  the  best  anchorage,  we 
pulled  aboard. 

"  Man  the  windlass  !"  was  the  first  order  after  din 
ner.  We  got  under  weigh  about  two  o'clock,  and, 
having  a  fair  wind,  ran  straight  into  the  bay,  and 
dropped  anchor  in  a  favorable  position  for  procuring 
wood  and  water.  During  the  afternoon  we  were 
busily  employed  in  breaking  out  from  the  hold,  hoist 
ing  water  casks  on  deck,  and  coopering  and  batten 
ing  them  for  a  raft.  Anchor  watches  were  chosen 
for  the  night,  and  the  rest  of  us  went  below  to  enjoy 
the  first  uninterrupted  night's  sleep  we  had  had  for 
nearly  eight  months. 

Next  morning  after  breakfast  the  mate  came  for 
ward,  and  sang  out,  "  D'ye  hear  the  news  there  1 
Get  ready  to  go  ashore,  the  starboard  watch."  There 
was  great  commotion  in  the  forecastle  on  hearing 
this  :  red  shirts,  white  ducks,  and  tarpaulins  were  the 
order  of  the  day.  Two  of  the  larboard  watch,  Jack 
and  I,  pulled  the  other  watch  ashore.  On  our  re 
turn  to  the  vessel,  a  raft  of  casks  was  ready,  which 
we  pulled  ashore,  and  rolled  upon  the  beach.  We 
then  went  back  for  the  rest  of  the  watch.  By  sun 
down  we  had  filled  the  casks,  towed  them  alongside, 
and  hoisted  them  aboard  with  a  Spanish  burden. 

In  the  larboard  watch  there   were  D ,  the 


RAMBLE    ASHORE.  239 

cooper,  Antoine,  Enos,  Frank,  and  the  cook,  Portu 
guese,  and  Jack  Smith,  Bill  Mann,  and  myself.  It 
was  our  liberty  day  ashore  next. 

Early  after  breakfast  we  went  aft  in  our  best  sea- 
rig  for  calico  and  cotton  handkerchiefs,  about  a  dol 
lar's  worth  of  which  was  allowed  each  of  the  crew 
to  barter  with  the  natives.  At  the  suggestion  of  some 
of  the  watch,  I  put  my  flute  in  my  pocket.  I  was 
afterward  very  glad  of  it,  as  it  procured  me  a  kind 
reception  wherever  I  went.  The  Portuguese  went 
off  to  a  grog-shop,  kept  by  a  native,  who  understood 
a  little  English ;  and  Jack  hauled  up  at  the  first  hut 
where  there  were  women. 

Accompanied  by  my  friend  D the  cooper,  I 

started  off  on  a  ramble  to  see  the  town.  The  houses 
are  built  of  bamboo,  and  thatched  with  the  leaves  of 
the  cocoa-nut  tree.  There  is  little  furniture  in  them, 
except  mats  to  sit  upon,  and  a  catanda  or  bamboo 
bedstead.  The  doors  are  about  three  feet  high,  so 
that  the  occupants  are  obliged  to  crawl  in  on  all 
fours.  Majunga  has  a  population  at  this  time  of 
about  six  thousand ;  but  during  the  reign  of  the  great 
warrior  Radama,  it  was  much  larger,  having  been 
burned  down  several  times  since. 

As  D and  I  strolled  along  the  principal  street, 

we  were  hailed  in  good  English  by  a  black  fellow 
sitting  at  the  door  of  one  of  the  huts,  who  proved, 
upon  a  nearer  approach,  to  be  Davy,  a  native,  who 
had  been  several  times  aboard  our  ship.  He  had 
visited  America  in  a  whaler,  and  understood  the 


240  THE    POISONED    MAJUNGAN 

English  language  very  well.     Davy  invited  us  into 

the  hut,  where  we  found  Mr.  D and  Bill  Mann 

very  agreeably  situated  between  two  copper-colored 
girls.  Not  wishing  to  disturb  them,  we  hastened  out 
as  soon  as  possible,  and  made  our  way  to  the  house 
of  Mamoousa,  one  of  the  governor's  officers,  who 
had  given  us  a  very  cordial  invitation,  when  on  board, 
to  call  upon  him.  It  was  a  neat  bamboo  hut,  situated 
near  the  market  square,  and  formed  quite  a  pleasant 
retreat  from  the  heat  of  the  sun.  While  seated  upon 
a  mat,  enjoying  a  refreshing  draught  of  air,  I  observed, 
sitting  outside  the  back  door,  the  most  remarkable 
specimen  of  the  human  species  I  had  ever  seen — a 
living  skeleton.  The  poor  creature  was  seated  with 
his  back  against  the  house,  under  the  full  blaze  of  a 
noonday  sun.  There  was  not  a  particle  of  flesh 
visible  on  his  bones.  As  he  wore  no  clothing,  with 
the  exception  of  a  rag  around  his  waist,  the  extreme 
emaciation  of  his  form  was  entirely  exposed.  In 
many  parts  the  naked  bones  were  visible.  Ma 
moousa  informed  me  that  this  poor  fellow  had  re 
ceived  a  wound  in  the  wars  with  the  Sacklaves  with 
a  poisoned  arrow,  which  wasted  him  away  to  his 
present  pitiable  condition. 

Our  hospitable  friend  treated  us  to  some  cocoa- 
nuts  and  bananas,  and  introduced  us  to  a  couple  of 
his  wives,  who,  he  gave  us  to  understand,  were  at 

our  service.     D had  always  been  lecturing  us 

on  board  the  vessel  for  all  the  carnal  vices  of  our 
nature,  and  especially  the  lusts  of  the  flesh,  which, 


D ?S    MORMON    MORALITY.  241 

he  maintained,  were  not  only  in  conflict  with  the 
Mormon  doctrine,  but  with  every  moral  principle 
which  ought  to  guide  us  in  our  way  through  life. 
He  had  also  maintained,  by  repeated  quotations  from 
the  codes  of  his  church,  that  all  illicit  indulgences 

*  o 

were  most  heinous  and  flagrant  violations  of  the 
Mormon  religion ;  a  religion  which,  if  embraced  by 
mankind  in  general,  would  insure  them  a  happy  rest 
ing-place  beyond  the  skies.  Moreover,  D never 

swore,  or  heard  the  sailors  make  use  of  obscene 
language,  without  giving  them  a  great  deal  of  whole 
some  advice.  With  such  a  companion,  therefore,  I 
would  have  felt  perfectly  secure  from  temptation  had 
Mamoousa's  ladies  been  much  more  attractive  than 
they  were ;  but  they  were  sufficiently  disgusting  in 
themselves  to  keep  me  at  a  safe  distance  from  them. 
Not  so  with  my  pious  friend  ;  for,  while  I  was  con 
versing  with  Mamoousa,  D was  engaged  in  a 

very  suspicious  pantomimic  conversation  with  one 
of  the  dusky  dames.  I  presume  his  object  was 
merely  to  give  her  a  lecture  upon  the  great  beauties 
and  benefits  of  the  Mormon  doctrine ;  at  all  events, 
it  would  be  uncharitable  to  put  any  other  construc 
tion  upon  his  mysterious  proceedings. 

In  about  an  hour,  the  mate  and  Davy  called  by 
for  us  to  go  to  a  dinner,  which  was  ready  up  at  Da 
vy's  house.  We  gladly  accepted  the  invitation,  and 
made  all  possible  haste  to  the  hut  of  our  good  friend. 
The  dinner  consisted  of  beef,  soup,  rice,  boiled 
maize,  and  melons,  which  was  something  new  to 

H  H 


242        RAMBLE  THROUGH  THE  TOWN. 

us,  at  least.  We  made  a  hearty  meal,  and  remuner 
ated  Davy  for  his  kindness  by  presenting  him  with 
a  few  yards  of  calico  and  a  red  flannel  shirt. 

On  our  return  toward  the  market-place,  a  melan 
choly  object  attracted  my  attention.  In  the  middle 
of  the  ruins  of  a  stone  building,  without  a  roof,  sat  a 
poor  negro  chained  to  a  rock,  and  so  covered  with 
stripes  and  sores  as  to  bear  the  appearance  rather  of 
a  putrefied  corpse  than  of  a  living  being.  I  was  told 
by  one  of  the  natives  that  this  poor  wretch  was  a 
native  of  Mozambique,  who  had  wounded  one  of 
the  governor's  subjects  with  an  axe.  The  governor 
had  sent  an  account  of  the  affair  to  the  queen,  who 
ordered  the  prisoner  to  be  kept  in  irons  till  the  de 
cease  or  recovery  of  the  wounded  man  should  de 
cide  his  fate.  He  had  been  in  the  situation  in 
which  we  saw  him  for  two  months,  and  had  entire 
ly  lost  his  hearing  and  the  use  of  his  limbs  from  the 
heavy  night  dews,  and  the  cruelties  inflicted  upon 
him  by  his  keepers.  As  he  sat  with  his  back  against 
the  rock,  groaning  in  agony,  and  loaded  with  chains, 
I  thought  there  could  not  be  a  more  pitiable  object 
upon  the  face  of  the  earth.  We  gave  him  a  few 
plugs  of  tobacco  and  passed  on. 

D and  I,  determined  to  see  every  thing  curi 
ous  about  town,  struck  out  through  a  labyrinth  of 
by-streets  and  alleys.  We  had  reached  the  out 
skirts  of  the  town,  and  were  pushing  our  way 
through  an  avenue  of  bushes,  when  a  voice  from  a 
shantee,  or  hut,  at  a  little  distance  hailed  us :  "  Hello, 


SMOKE-HOUSE.  243 

whar'  you  goin'  1  Come  dis  way ;  dis  de  place  for 
white  man."  We  went  to  the  door  of  the  hut, 
which  was  clouded  with  smoke  issuing  from  within. 
I  thought  at  first  that  the  whole  concern  was  on  fire. 
Peering  through  the  smoke,  however,  we  recognized 
the  dusky  face  of  our  friend  Davy,  who,  grinning 
from  ear  to  ear,  invited  us  to  walk  in  and  take  a 
smoke. 

This  was  what  the  natives  call  a  smoke-house, 
where  they  pay  so  much  a  week  to  enjoy  a  gossip 
over  the  pipe.  There  were  five  or  six  Ambolambos 
squatted  around  a  small  fire,  one  of  whom,  the  pro 
prietor  of  the  establishment,  was  employed  in  filling 
a  large  earthen  pipe,  the  lower  part  of  which  con 
tained  water.  This  he  passed  round,  giving  each 
of  the  company  a  few  puffs.  Davy  told  us  that  it 
was  a  favorite  substitute  for  rum,  producing  all  the 
excitement  of  strong  liquor  without  the  evil  effects. 
When  carried  to  excess,  it  excites  the  system  like 
exhilarating  gas.  The  savage  energy  with  which 
the  natives  in  the  hut  went  to  work  wras  really 
amusing.  The  smoke  rolled  up  in  dense  volumes, 
and  the  perspiration  teemed  in  streams  from  their 
dusky  faces.  Davy  requested  us  to  keep  a  sharp 
look-out,  and  he  would  show  us  how  to  enjoy  a 
smoke.  Stripping  himself  stark  naked,  he  braced 
himself  firmly  against  the  wall,  and  took  hold  of  the 
pipe.  For  several  minutes  he  sucked  with  all  his 
might  as  rapidly  as  he  could  gain  breath.  With  ex 
cited  features  and  distended  breast  he  continued  at 


244  MAJUNGAN    MARKET. 

this  till  entirely  enveloped  in  smoke,  when  he  paus 
ed  from  sheer  exhaustion.  The  dense  clouds  around 
him  clearing  away,  he  again  became  visible,  the 
perspiration  teeming  down  his  face,  his  eyes  closed, 
and  his  whole  countenance  betokening  great  comfort 
and  satisfaction.  This  operation  he  repeated  fre 
quently  till  entirely  drunk. 

We  left  the  hut  highly  entertained  with  the  exhi 
bition  we  had  seen.  In  the  course  of  our  peregrina 
tions  we  found  our  way  to  the  public  market-place, 
where  new  objects  of  curiosity  attracted  our  atten 
tion.  The  butchers  were  squatted  down  under 
bamboo  sheds,  engaged  in  cutting  up  beef,  weighing 
small  pieces  of  silver,  which  form  the  currency  of 
Majunga,  and  stowing  away  rice  and  other  commod 
ities,  which  they  receive  in  exchange  for  meat.  Scat 
tered  along  through  the  market-place  are  several 
grog-shops  or  drinking-houses.  Any  one  who  is 
rich  enough  to  buy  a  barrel  of  rum  from  a  vessel 
trading  between  Majunga  and  the  Isle  of  France 
can  set  up  an  establishment  of  this  sort ;  the  entire 
stock  necessary  being  a  barrel  of  rum  and  a  gourd 
or  cup.  Besides  beef  and  rice,  the  only  articles  we 
saw  offered  for  sale  were  straw  baskets,  honey, 
plums,  mangoes,  lemons,  .melons,  oranges,  bananas, 
queen's  ware,  and  a  kind  of  cloth  manufactured  by 
the  natives  from  the  bark  of  the  cocoa-nut  tree.  A 
stranger,  ignorant  of  the  actual  value  of  such  things, 
is  charged  double  price  for  them.  The  currency  is 
silver.  Dollars  are  cut  up  into  various-sized  pieces, 


MADAGASCAN    BULLOCK.  245 

from  the  value  of  a  cent  up  to  ninety-nine  cents. 
To  prevent  imposition,  all  who  have  considerable 
dealing  to  do  keep  small  scales,  with  which  they 
weigh  the  money.  It  is  not  an  uncommon  thing  to 
see  brokers'  offices  even  in  this  savage  land.  A 
desk  containing  weights,  pieces  of  silver,  and  a  pair 
of  scales,  constitutes  all  that  is  necessary  for  an  es 
tablishment  of  this  description. 

The  Madagascan  bullock  is  not  unlike  the  buffalo 
in  appearance,  but  of  a  lighter  and  more  active 
build.  It  has  the  hump  on  the  shoulder,  the  thin 
flanks,  and  deep  chest.  The  hair  is  short  and  sleek, 
and  the  legs  formed  for  fleetness.  As  they  run  wild 
about  the  island  in  large  herds,  their  flesh  is  tough 
and  muscular,  and,  of  course,  not  to  be  compared 
with  our  domestic  cattle.  The  hides  are  purchased 
from  the  natives  in  large  quantities  by  the  traders 
stationed  at  Majunga  for  that  purpose.  Nothing 
can  be  more  cruel  and  disgusting  than  the  manner 
in  which  cattle  are  butchered  here.  The  victim  is 
made  fast  to  four  stakes  firmly  driven  in  the  ground, 
so  that  he  can  not  move,  and  in  that  situation  is  at 
tacked  by  a  gang  of  boys  and  men,  armed  with 
knives  and  axes,  who  chop  and  hew  at  him  till  his 
limbs  are  cut  away,  and  he  falls  to  the  ground,  bel 
lowing  with  pain.  I  saw  a  bullock  butchered  in 
this  way,  which,  to  prolong  the  sport,  was  suffered 
to  run  around  the  market  square  for  nearly  an  hour 
on  three  legs,  with  a  gang  of  boys  after  him,  yelling 
and  laughing  at  the  attempts  of  the  poor  animal  to 
escape. 


246  GOVERNOR'S  PALACE. 

While  examining  every  object  of  curiosity  in  the 
market-place,  the  mate  came  along  and  invited  us  to 
accompany  him  to  the  fort  and  the  governor's  pal 
ace.  A  pleasant  walk  of  about  half  a  mile  brought 
us  to  the  top  of  a  hill  upon  which  the  fort  stood,  di 
rectly  in  front  of  the  governor's  residence.  The 
gate  was  guarded  by  a  number  of  soldiers,  armed 
with  spears  and  muskets.  We  sat  down  on  a  low 
stone  wall  in  front,  not  being  allowed  to  enter  the 
premises  of  his  sable  mightiness,  Hoy  Audrimaro, 
without  a  permit  from  himself  or  his  chief  officers. 
Within  the  inclosure  is  a  tall  staff  with  a  white  flag 
bearing  the  name  of  the  queen  in  large  black  letters  ; 
RANARALO  MANJAKO. 

The  captains  of  vessels  are  allowed  to  visit  the 
governor  at  any  time  ;  but  sailors  and  subordinates 
are  treated  with  a  dignified  contempt  by  this  impor 
tant  functionary.  Bearing  in  mind  that  "  music  hath 
charms,"  &c.,  I  drew  out  my  flute,  and,  as  a  number 
of  the  soldiers  had  already  seen  it  in  the  town,  they 
gathered  around  me  in  crowds  to  hear  me  play.  I 
struck  up  "  O  dolce  concento,"  with  variations.  At 
the  end  of  each  variation  they  clapped  their  hands, 
and  cried  out,  "  Maivre  !  maivre  !"  signifying  "  Good ! 
good  !"  accompanying  this  exclamation  with  a  grunt 
of  astonishment.  They  had  apparently  never  seen 
a  flute.  I  found  that  fiddles  and  banjoes  were  quite 
familiar  to  them,  and  many  of  them  had  instruments 
of  this  kind  rudely  constructed  by  themselves.  They 
use  an  instrument  made  of  reed,  somewhat  like  a 


MADAGASCAN    MUSIC.  247 

flute,  and  a  "  bambooa,"  or  large  bamboo,  about  two 
feet  long,  with  strings  peeled  from  the  bark,  under 
which  are  placed  pieces  of  wood,  forming  a  rude 
imitation  of  the  guitar,  and  not  unlike  it  in  sound. 
While  I  was  entertaining  the  soldiers  with  my  flute, 
the  governor's  secretary,  Ami  Selamica,  a  small,  dark 
man,  habited  in  a  light  cotton  robe,  and  armed  with 
a  spear,  came  to  the  gate  and  listened  with  great  at 
tention  until  I  had  concluded,  when  he  expressed  his 
satisfaction  in  good  English,  and  requested  me  to 
play  a  waltz.  Wishing  to  know  if  he  really  had 
any  idea  of  the  difference  between  the  time  of  one 
tune  and  another,  I  asked  him  to  whistle  the  waltz 
he  wished  me  to  play.  To  my  great  surprise,  he 
gave  me  with  great  accuracy  the  Queen  of  Prussia's 
waltz.  I  had  much  curiosity  to  get  a  better  view  of 
the  governor's  palace  than  we  had  from  the  outside 
of  the  gate,  and  I  told  Selamica  if  he  wished  me  to 
play  I  must  go  in,  as  the  crowd  was  too  great  out 
side.  Eying  me  very  keenly,  he  observed,  "  Gov 
ernor  no  allow  sailor  in.  Are  you  sailor  ?" 

Knowing  that  sailors  were  not  admitted,  I  replied, 

«  Why  do  you  take  me  to  be  a  sailor  ?" 

"  You  wear  blue  shirt." 

"  True,  but  any  body  can  wear  a  blue  shirt.  You 
don't  know  whether  I'm  a  sailor  or  not.  Perhaps 
I'm  the  captain's  son." 

"  Capitan's  son  1  Oh  well,  suppose  you  capitan's 
son,  I  go  see  the  governor.  Stay  there.  Presently 
Selamica  return  ;"  and,  so  saying,  the  secretary  went 
off  full  speed  to  see  the  governor. 


248  A  WALK    OVER    THE    HILLS. 

D and  the  mate  were  highly  amused  at  the 

trick  about  to  be  played  upon  Selamica  and  the 
governor ;  but  rny  scheme  was  frustrated  by  the  fact 
that  his  sable  highness  was  taking  a  nap  and  could 
not  be  disturbed.  The  secretary,  however,  shook 
hands  with  me  as  I  was  going  away,  and  invited  me 
to  call  again,  promising  to  speak  to  Hoy  Audrimaro 
of  my  musical  powers,  and  obtain  leave  to  admit  me. 

The  mate,  D ,  and  myself,  spent  the  remain 
der  of  the  evening  walking  over  the  hills,  and  en 
joying  the  refreshing  sea  breeze.  The  scenery  in 
the  vicinity  of  Majunga  is  not  very  prepossessing, 
being  barren  and  rocky,  and  the  vegetation  crisped 
by  the  burning  rays  of  a  tropical  sun.  The  beach 
is  in  many  places  of  snowy  whiteness,  which  ren 
ders  it  very  painful  to  the  eyes  at  particular  periods 
of  the  day  when  it  reflects  the  sun's  rays.  Within 
range  of  the  eye  are  the  opposite  shores  of  Bemba- 
tooka  Bay,  presenting  a  dreary  waste  of  inhospita 
ble  rocks  and  inland,  and  a  succession  of  hills  and 
barren  land,  with  scarcely  a  patch  under  cultivation. 
On  the  margin  of  the  bay,  near  the  lower  part  of  the 
town,  are  a  few  plantations  very  indifferently  culti 
vated. 

It  was  nearly  sundown  when  we  reached  the 
landing.  The  waist  boat  was  already  waiting  for 
us,  and,  as  soon  as  the  stray  liberty  men  could  be 
gathered  together,  we  went  on  board,  having  thus 
spent  our  first  liberty  day. 

The  captain  and  mate  were  still  on  very  bad 


A  "GREASY"  QUARREL.  249 

terms.  Nothing  went  right ;  nothing  suited  the  "  old 
man."  He  was  continually  snapping  at  the  officers, 
and  particularly  at  the  mate,  against  whom  he  en 
tertained  the  most  inveterate  feelings  of  enmity.  As 
a  natural  consequence,  there  was  a  general  relaxa 
tion  of  discipline,  and  all  hands  did  pretty  much  as 
they  pleased  when  out  of  the  captain's  sight.  He 
annoyed  the  mate  in  every  possible  way,  and  the 
mate  retaliated  by  abusing  him  before  the  men ;  so 
that,  to  use  his  own  language,  "  the  barque  was  go 
ing  to  the  devil  as  fast  as  she  could." 

During  the  middle  watch  one  night,  while  we  lay 
at  Majunga,  a  squall  came  on.  We  began  to  drag 
anchor.  The  mate  was  unwell,  and  the  man  on 
deck  called  the  captain.  When  he  came  on  deck, 
he  found  a  pile  of  casks  on  the  chain  of  the  starboard 
anchor.  In  a  furious  passion,  he  called  upon  the 

mate  to  turn  out.  As  soon  as  Mr.  D made  his 

appearance,  the  captain  turned  fiercely  upon  him, 
and  addressed  him  in  the  most  violent  language,  part 
of  which  was  drowned  by  the  roaring  of  the  squall. 
I  could  just  hear  the  conclusion  of  his  harangue  : 

"  Mr.  D ,  you  lied  to  me.  You  told  me  a 

d — d  lie.  You  said  the  chains  were  clear  before  I 
turned  in." 

"  And  so  they  were,  sir.     I  left  them  clear." 

"  Do  you  call  these  clear  ?  Mind  what  you  say. 
Don't  lie  to  me  !  don't  lie  to  me  !  I'll  larn  you  bet 
ter  !  I'll  show  you  how  to  lie  to  me,  d — n  you  !" 

"  Captain  A ,  I'm  not  used  to  such  language 

Ii 


250  THE    CAPTAIN    AND    MATE. 

from  any  man.  You  can  believe  what  I  tell  you  or 
not ;  but  don't  tell  me  I  lie,  sir.  I'll  not  stand  it !" 

"  I'll  tell  you  what,  then,  if  you  can't  pay  more 
attention  to  your  duty,  I'll  do  your  duty.  I'll  do  it 
for  you.  Take  warning,  now.  I've  talked  to  you 
before." 

"  I've  always  done  my  duty,  Captain  A ." 

"  You  have  not !     Do  you  mean  to  tell  me  I  lie  1" 

"  Take  it  as  you  like,  sir ;  you're  determined  not 
to  be  pleased  with  any  thing  I  do  ;  and,  to  tell  you 

the  truth,  Captain  A ,  I  don't  care  a  curse 

whether  you're  pleased  or  not.  My  heart's  blood 
wouldn't  satisfy  you.  I've  tried  to  satisfy  you,  but 
all  h — 1  wouldn't  do  it." 

"  None  of  your  slack-jaw  !  I've  always  seen  mates 
obey  orders  without  a  word." 

"  I've  always  seen  captains  attend  to  their  own 
business.  You  interfere  too  much  for  your  own 
good." 

"  I'll  make  you  attend  to  yours  as  long  as  you're 
mate  of  this  ship.  I've  had  enough  of  your  insolence ; 
I'll  make  you  know  your  place  hereafter." 

"  You  can  begin  now,  if  you  like,  Captain  A . 

Fm  ready  for  you  at  any  moment — in  any  shape.  If 
you  don't  like  what  I  say,  you  can  help  yourself. 
Come  ahead,  if  you  want  satisfaction.  I'm  the  man 
for  you !" 

Like  all  bullies,  the  captain  was  a  coward  at  heart; 
and  the  moment  he  thought  there  was  some  danger 
of  a  collision,  he  walked  aft,  muttering, 


MOHAMMED    DESHAREE.  251 

"  I  wish  to  God  you  were  out  of  the  ship." 

"  I  wish  I  was !"  retorted  the  mate ;  "  and  the 
sooner  the  better.  Put  me  out  just  as  soon  as  you 
please." 

The  squall  above  and  the  squall  below  ended  at 
the  same  time.  As  soon  as  we  got  the  chain  clear 
we  went  below,  highly  edified  with  the  rhetorical 
exhibition  we  had  just  enjoyed. 

I  spent  my  next  day's  liberty  even  more  agreeably 

than  the  first.  My  friend  D and  I  had  received 

an  invitation  on  board  the  barque  to  dine  with  a  na 
tive  of  Johanna,  Mohammed  Desharee,  reputed  to 
be  a  man  of  wealth  and  distinction.  We  had  given 
him  numerous  presents,  and  treated  him  with  much 
civility  and  attention,  so  that  we  looked  for  quite  a 
blow-out  on  our  liberty  day.  When  we  got  ashore, 
we  were  met  by  Mohammed  on  the  beach,  ready  to 
conduct  us  to  his  house.  He  invited  the  whole 
watch  to  partake  of  the  entertainment. 

We  found  Mohammed's  house  quite  a  palace  in 
comparison  with  the  generality  of  houses  in  Majun- 
ga.  It  was  a  large  bamboo  building,  thatched  with 
palmetto,  and  whitewashed  outside.  The  interior 
was  fitted  up  in  the  most  curious  and  fantastic  style. 
The  walls  were  covered  with  Chinese  plates,  Ameri 
can  looking-glasses,  Arabian  fans,  flags  of  different 
nations,  Chinese  pictures,  old  copper  plates  with  in 
scriptions,  Egyptian  relics  and  charms,  and  various 
other  curiosities.  In  the  sitting-room  were  two 
sofas,  with  silk  cushions,  ornamented  with  gaudy 


252  VAST    LIBERALITl. 

fringe-work.  Mohammed  informed  us,  with  a  look 
of  pride  and  exultation,  that  "  this  house  was  his ; 
all  this  property  was  his;  he  had  four  wives,  two 
hundred  slaves,  five  hundred  head  of  cattle,  two 
plantations  near  Majunga,  and  one  in  Johanna — all 
his."  Notwithstanding  his  riches,  he  wanted  pay 
ment  for  the  dinner  we  were  about  to  get,  and  that, 
too,  before  we  ate  it.  We  offered  him  a  new  shirt 
and  several  fathoms  of  calico ;  but  he  refused  them 
with  disdain,  saying,  "  Give  me  more ;  I  can  no  give 
you  dinner  for  dis."  Cursing  the  fellow  for  his 
meanness,  we  started  off  in  high  dudgeon  to  dine 

aboard  the  ship.      He  called  D and  me  back, 

protesting  that  he  did  not  intend  to  offend  us ;  but 
that  we  had  hurt  his  feelings  by  offering  him  any 
thing  at  all.  After  a  long  harangue,  he  wound  up  by 
asking  us  two  to  dine  with  him  "  as  brothers,"  assur 
ing  us  that  he  loved  us  "  all  de  same  as  himself." 
The  rest  of  the  crew  were  mean  time  hull-down ; 
and  having  no  desire  to  go  aboard,  D and  my 
self  remained,  determined  at  least  to  be  even  with 
him  for  his  meanness  in  some  way. 

By-and-by  a  table  was  carried  in  about  two  feet 
long,  and  a  foot  and  a  half  wide.  I  now  began  to 
suspect  the  true  cause  of  his  treating  our  watch  so 
cavalierly.  He  had  boasted  extensively  of  his  great 
wealth ;  but  the  fact  was,  he  neither  had  a  table  large 
enough  to  accommodate  us  all,  nor  more  than  three 
or  four  whole  plates ;  and  his  vanity  was  too  great 
to  bear  the  humiliation  of  making  a  confession  of  the 


GREAT    DINNER. NO    SPOONS.  253 

actual  state  of  his  household  affairs.  Dinner  was 
served  with  all  the  pomp  and  display  of  a  public 
banquet  at  one  of  the  best  hotels.  The  word  was 
passed,  a  back  door  was  thrown  open,  and  six  or 
eight  slaves,  each  bearing  something,  entered  in  In 
dian  file.  After  all  the  ceremony  of  setting  the  table, 
we  had  nothing  to  eat  but  a  few  hard-boiled  eggs, 
a  plate  of  rice,  another  of  fish,  and  a  panful  of  rice 
batter  cakes.  The  table  being  too  small  to  contain 
all,  we  were  obliged  to  set  some  of  the  dishes  on  the 
chairs,  and,  so  situated,  my  friend  and  myself  sat 
down ;  Mohammed,  seeing  us  look  round  apparently 
in  want  of  something  (which  was  true  enough,  as 
there  were  no  knives  or  spoons  visible),  told  us  to 
"eat  plenty  much."  Seeing  no  other  resource,  I 
took  out  a  small  pen-knife,  which  I  fortunately  had 
in  my  pocket.  D was  better  ofi\  having  a  jack- 
knife,  and  a  fork  with  two  prongs.  I  made  some 
laughable  attempts  to  devour  the  rice  with  my  pen 
knife.  It  was  too  slow  a  process,  however,  for  a 
half-famished  wlialeman,  and  I  commenced  attacking 
the  dishes  with  my  hands.  Mohammed  seeing  the 
difficulty,  called  to  one  of  his  slaves,  who  brought 
me  a  spoon.  With  this  I  got  along  well  enough. 

We  ate  a  hearty  meal,  such  as  it  was ;  afterwhich 
we  took  possession  of  the  sofas,  lighted  a  couple  of 
cigars,  and  lay  smoking  like  nabobs  for  an  hour  or 
two.  Mohammed  talked  incessantly  of  his  immense 
possessions,  giving  us  to  understand  that  he  was  the 
richest  and  most  distinguished  man  in  Majunga. 


254  FRESH    COCOA-NUTS. 

When  we  were  done  smoking,  he  asked  us  to  walk 
out  to  his  plantation,  which  was  about  a  mile  below 
the  town.  We  gladly  agreed  to  the  proposal ;  and 
off  we  started  through  groves  of  underwood,  brakes, 
and  lagoons.  In  half  an  hour  we  arrived  at  the 
plantation,  which  was  indeed  a  very  pleasant  place. 
The  wide-spreading  mangroves  afforded  us  a  cool 
and  delightful  shade,  while  the  tall  cocoa-nut  trees, 
freighted  with  fruit,  promised  us  something  refresh 
ing  to  the  palate. 

Mohammed  called  a  little  boy,  and  ordered  him 
to  climb  one  of  the  trees  for  cocoa-nuts.  With  the 
aid  of  a  piece  of  kyaa  rope,  which  he  placed  in 
niches  cut  in  the  tree,  the  boy  soon  reached  the 
top,  and  threw  down  the  cocoa-nuts  in  abundance. 
This  delicious  fruit  can  only  be  enjoyed  in  perfec 
tion  when  eaten  green,  and  directly  from  the  tree. 
The  milk  is  then  rich  and  sweet ;  the  pulp  delicious, 
resembling  white  jelly  or  blanc-mange  in  appearance. 
We  sat  for  about  an  hour  under  the  refreshing  shade 
of  the  trees,  highly  amused  by  the  egotism  of  Mo 
hammed  Desharee. 

"These  groves,"  said  he,  "of  cocoa-nut  trees,  man 
groves,  oranges,  plums;  these  fields  of  rice,  maize, 
and  plantains ;  these  houses,  and  all  the  slaves  you 
see,  are  mine — all  mine." 

With  this  and  other  remarks  of  the  kind  he  amus 
ed  us,  until  the  sun  warned  us  to  return  to  the  boat 
landing. 

The  boat  not  having  arrived,  we  wound  up  the 


MUSIC.  255 

pleasures  of  the  day  at  the  market-place.  I  shall 
never  forget  the  fun  we  had  that  evening.  The  sun 
had  set,  and  the  whole  square  was  occupied  by  Mo 
hammedan  grandees,  squatted  on  the  ground,  enjoy 
ing  the  cool  of  the  evening,  and  chatting  over  the 
affairs  of  the  day.  I  was  hailed  by  a  general  cry  of 
"  Music,  music."  Drawing  out  my  flute,  I  struck  up 
"  Clar  de  Kitchen,"  upon  which  an  old  man  with  a 
long  white  beard  jumped  up,  clapping  his  hands  and 
dancing  about  in  great  glee.  He  was  followed  by 
others,  who  crowded  around  me,  till  I  presently 
found  myself  surrounded  by  the  whole  group  of 
grave  old  Mussulmans,  all  dancing  and  shouting  as 
if  possessed  of  the  devil. 

"  Well  done,  Jack  !  play  on  !  Maivre  !  maivre  !" 
was  sung  out  at  the  end  of  every  tune.  Others,  see 
ing  the  fun,  came  running  from  all  quarters,  and  in 
less  than  ten  minutes  I  verily  believe  there  were 
over  two  hundred  men  and  boys,  from  eighty  to  five 
years  of  age,  all  shouting  and  capering  around  me. 
A  gang  of  lads  with  drums  came  up  and  joined  me ; 
and  such  a  confusion  of  sounds  I  never  heard  as 
was  made  that  evening.  I  received  the  thanks  and 
cordial  good  wishes  of  the  whole  company,  with  in 
vitations  to  call  at  their  houses  and  dine  with  them 
my  next  liberty  day.  The  boat  having  by  this  time 
arrived,  we  went  on  board  to  pay  for  our  frolic  by 
hard  work  next  day.  Whenever  I  went  ashore  af 
ter  the  spree  at  the  market-place,  I  was  hailed  from 
all  quarters  for  "  music." 


25G  MAJUNGA    POPULATION. 

Majunga  is  situated  on  the  northeast  side  of  Mad 
agascar.  The  inhabitants  are  mixed  races,  but  chief 
ly  of  the  Ambolamboe  tribe,  the  most  powerful  of  the 
Malegash.  The  wealthiest  residents  are  descend 
ants  of  the  Arabs,  from  Johanna,  Zanzibar,  and  the 
coast  of  Africa.  The  population  of  the  town  is 
composed  of  the  Malegash,  Sowhelians,  a  race  be 
tween  the  Arab  and  the  African,  natives  of  Zanzibar 
and  the  Cormoro  Islands,  Africans,  Hindoos,  and 
Jews  from  the  East  Indies. 

Beef,  rice,  fish,  maize,  potatoes,  cassada  root, 
yams,  and  fruit,  are  the  principal  articles  of  provi 
sion. 

The  governor,  Hoy  Audrimaro,  who  derives  his 
office  from  the  queen,  has  great  power,  and  is  very 
much  feared  by  the  lower  classes.  His  residence  is 
situated  on  the  top  of  a  hill,  about  half  a  mile  back 
of  the  town.  An  avenue,  hedged  in  with  bushes, 
and  shaded  with  cocoa-nut,  mangrove,  and  orange 
trees,  leads  up  to  the  large  massive  wooden  gate, 
which  I  have  already  alluded  to  as  situated  at  the 
entrance  of  the  square  in  which  the  palace  stands. 
This  gate  is  usually  guarded  by  a  corps  of  Ambo- 
lamboes  armed  with  speais  and  muskets. 

The  northern  part  of  Madagascar  is  now  under 
the  dominion  of  a  queen,  whose  name  is  RANAVALO 
MANJAKO.  This  is  the  most  civilized  part  of  the 
island.  It  is  inhabited  by  Ambolamboes  and  strag 
gling  parties  of  the  Sacklave  tribe.  The  two  great 
tribes  are  the  Ambolamboes  and  the  Sacklaves — one 


THE    AMBOLAMBOES.  257 

occupying  the  northern,  and  the  other  the  southern 
parts  of  Madagascar.  There  is  also  a  powerful  tribe, 
inhabiting  the  central  and  mountainous  parts  of  the 
island,  called  the  Orahs.  The  Sacklaves  and  Ambo- 
larnboes  have  been  engaged  in  a  sanguinary  war  for 
upward  of  thirty  years,  and  there  is  yet  no  prospect 
of  its  termination. 

I  saw  more  cripples  in  Majunga  than  I  had  ever 
seen  in  any  place  of  its  size.  Most  of  them  had 
been  wounded  in  the  war  with  the  Sacklaves,  who 
use  poisoned  spears,  the  slightest  wound  of  which 
is  fatal,  producing  a  sore  that  gradually  destroys  the 
whole  body. 

The  Ambolamboes  are  a  fine  race  of  men ;  tall, 
athletic,  and  well  formed.  Their  simple  costume 
displays  their  fine  proportions  and  muscular  limbs  to 
great  advantage.  They  are  an  indolent  people,  and, 
perhaps,  owing  to  the  fact  that  they  do  but  little 
work,  their  hands  are  remarkably  small.  Constant 
exercise  with  the  spear  and  war-club  develops  the 
muscles  of  the  arms  and  chest,  and  renders  them  ex 
tremely  powerful  antagonists.  I  noticed  but  little 
distinction  between  the  Ambolamboes  and  Sack- 
laves,  except  that  of  wearing  the  hair.  The  Ambo 
lamboes  leave  it  in  its  natural  bushy  state,  sometimes 
ornamented  with  beads.  The  Sacklaves  all  wear 
their  hair  braided.  Over  the  forehead  are  two  wide 
braids  covering  the  temples,  and  curiously  drawn 
across  the  eyebrows,  giving  the  countenance  a  stern 
cast,  which  is  increased  by  a  short  mustache,  and  a 

KK 


258  AMUSEMENTS    AMONG    THE    NATIVES. 

tuft  of  beard  on  the  chin.  With  their  highly-pol 
ished  spears  and  flowing  robes  thrown  gracefully 
over  the  left  shoulder,  they  are  decidedly  as  warlike 
and  fine-looking  a  tribe  as  one  could  wish  to  see. 
Those  of  the  Sacklaves  residing  at  Majunga  are 
subjects  of  the  queen,  who  had  been  taken  prisoners 
in  the  war.  If  they  attempt  to  make  their  escape  or 
take  up  arms  against  the  queen,  they  are  instantly 
beheaded. 

Music  and  dancing  are  favorite  pastimes  with  the 
Malegash.  The  young  Ambolamboes  in  Majunga 
have  a  pole  erected  in  the  market-place,  with  niches 
in  it,  upon  which  they  hang  half  a  dozen  drums  ev 
ery  evening,  and  beat  upon  these  and  dance  around 
them  half  the  night.  We  could  scarcely  sleep  on 
board  the  vessel  in  consequence  of  the  uproar  kept 
up  at  night  by  these  drummers  and  dancers. 

There  are  several  mosques  in  the  town,  in  which 
the  Mohammedans  perform  their  devotions.  Their 
manner  of  calling  together  their  congregations  is 
somewhat  singular.  Within  a  few  yards  of  the  well 
from  which  we  procured  our  water  stands  one  of 
these  mosques.  The  back  entrance  faces  the  well. 
I  saw  numbers  of  natives  performing  their  ablutions 
in  a  large  trough  of  water,  but  paid  little  attention  to 
what  was  going  on.  Presently  my  ears  were  stun 
ned  by  a  voice  at  the  door  of  the  mosque,  shouting, 
in  a  wild,  melancholy  key,  "A!ta-ak-ba!  Alla-ak-ba!" 
Casting  my  eye  around  to  see  whence  the  sounds 
proceeded,  I  saw  standing  at  the  mosque  door  a  tall, 


PREPARATION    FOR    VISITORS.  259 

powerful  man,  dressed  in  white,  with  a  turban  on 
his  head,  shouting  at  the  highest  pitch  of  his  voice, 
"  Alla-ak-ba!"  followed  by  a  long  rigmarole  not  very 
intelligible  to  me.  His  hands  were  placed  against 
his  ears,  as  if  to  shut  out  his  own  wailing  cry. 
About  every  five  minutes  he  turned  toward  the  pul 
pit  and  muttered  a  short  prayer,  and  then  resumed 
his  dismal  "  Alla-ak-ba  !" 

Gambling  is  a  favorite  pursuit  of  the  people  of 
Majunga.  Seated  at  the  doors  of  the  houses  may 
be  seen  at  all  times  of  the  day  groups  of  gamblers 
playing  the  exciting  game. 

On  Saturday  the  captain  dined  with  the  govern 
or.  In  return,  the  governor  was  invited  to  dine 
on  board  the  barque.  Mamoousa  was  desired  to 
explain  that  it  was  not  customary  for  his  excellency 
to  visit  vessels  belonging  to  foreign  countries,  but 
that  a  deputation  of  the  officers  of  the  palace  would 
be  sent  to  represent  him. 

On  Monday,  at  twelve  o'clock,  we  prepared  our 
selves  to  receive  our  distinguished  visitors.  They 
came  alongside  in  a  large  canoe,  highly  decorated 
with  ornamental  fringe-work.  In  entering  the  cabin, 
the  following  was  the  order  observed  : 

General  Merimaro,  chief  commanding  officer. 

Melanzoone,  captain  of  the  fort. 

Mamoousa,  captain  of  the  body  guards. 

Ami  Salamica,  secretary  to  the  governor. 

Risalvo,  first  officer  of  the  port. 

Rinejaro,  treasurer,  followed  by  several  subordinate 
officers. 


260  THE    REPAST. 

These  distinguished  gentry  were  habited  in  vari 
ous  costumes,  betokening  their  different  ranks.  Gen 
eral  Merimaro  was  as  black  as  the  ace  of  spades, 
and  looked  for  all  the  world  like  a  servant  in  livery. 
Mamoousa  wore  an  English  dress,  which  seemed  to 
sit  very  awkwardly  on  him.  The  rest  of  the  com 
pany  were  dressed  in  the  native  costume  of  the  Am- 
bolamboes,  which  is  decidedly  the  most  appropriate 
and  picturesque  dress  they  wear. 

The  dinner  surpassed,  in  abundance  and  grandeur, 
any  thing  ever  before  given  by  our  captain.  It  was, 
indeed,  quite  a  matter  of  speculation  for  us,  who 
looked  at  the  proceedings  with  utter  amazement, 
actually  believing  something  had  operated  upon  the 
captain's  bowels  of  liberality.  Two  of  the  hands, 
Bully  and  Enos,  were  called  aft  to  wait  upon  the 
darkies ;  an  honor  which  had  been  tendered  to  me, 
but  which  I  most  respectfully  declined,  notwithstand 
ing  the  tempting  prospect  of  stray  crumbs  from  the 
table.  There  was  one  pie,  a  real  chicken  pie;  not 
very  large,  to  be  sure,  for  twelve  or  fifteen  persons  ; 
but  it  was  a  chicken  pie !  and  there  was  a  piece  of 
fresh  beef,  and  a  piece  of  salt  beef,  and  a  piece  of 
fat  pork  !  These  were  the  substantiate,  particularly 
the  pork,  which,  it  was  very  well  known,  the  na 
tives  would  not  eat.  Then  there  was  for  dessert 
one  bottle  of  wine,  some  molasses  and  water,  and  a 
kid  of  ship-bread  !  Oh  !  it  was  "  a  sadly  touching 
sight"  to  stand  by  the  cook's  galley  and  witness  the 
disappearance,  one  after  another,  of  all  these  rarities; 


CONCLUDING  THE  BANQUET.         261 

to  be  regaled  with  odoriferous  fumes  from  the  pass 
ing  dishes ;  to  see  the  steward  dive  down  the  com- 

o  ' 

panion-way  to  that  "  bourne  whence  no  morsel  re- 
turneth;"  and  jet,  with  whetted  appetites,  and  a 
perfect  appreciation  of  all  that  is  savory,  palatable, 
and  refreshing,  to  be  compelled  to  make  a  miserable 
meal  of  the  remnants  of  dirty  bread  in  the  forecastle, 
sour  molasses,  and  a  few  scraps  of  old  horse. 

We  lay  about  the  forecastle  deck  smoking  and 
talking,  while  the  captain  was  entertaining  his  com 
pany.  From  the  uproarious  noises  which  we  occa 
sionally  heard,  it  was  quite  evident  that  the  sable 
gentry  and  their  generous  host  were  enjoying  them 
selves  to  their  entire  satisfaction.  Dinner  over,  the 
captain  took  out  his  calicoes,  and,  favored  by  the 
good-humor  of  his  company,  commenced  trading 
with  them.  They  knewr  too  well  the  value  of  goods 
to  be  cheated ;  and  none  of  them  would  submit  to 
his  extortions,  when  they  could  purchase  goods  from 
the  trader  ashore,  of  a  better  quality,  for  half  the 
price.  The  result  was  that  there  was  a  general  war 
of  words,  and  the  entertainment  broke  up  with  ill 
feeling  on  both  sides.  I  went  aft  to  the  scuttle-butt 
to  hear  what  was  going  on.  Mamoousa,  as  he  was 
about  to  jump  over  into  the  canoe,  whispered  in  my 
ear, "  You  got  one  mean  capitan.  He  no  like  Ameri 
can  man'!"  The  whole  procession  moved  toward 
the  gangway  in  disorder  and  confusion,  and  jumped 
over  into  the  canoe,  vociferating  sundry  benedictions 
on  the  barque  Styx. 


262  BILL    OF    FARE    AT    BAMBATOOKA. 

Our  recruit  at  Bambatooka  Bay  consisted  of  a 
very  stingy  supply  of  fresh  meat  and  fruit,  which 
lasted  us  about  two  weeks.  Some  of  the  officers 
procured  a  couple  of  mokaks  and  a  Madagascar  pup. 
The  pup  was  called  Mamoousa,  and  of  course  was 
a  good  Mohammedan.  It  was  very  amusing  to  see 
the  effect  produced  upon  him  by  the  sight  of  a  litter 
of  pigs  which  we  had  on  board.  Whenever  they 
got  him  into  a  tight  corner,  they  were  sure  to  give 
him  a  thrashing;  but,  being  a  good  Mohammedan,  he 
could  not  be  forced  to  defile  his  teeth  with  the  filthy 
swine. 

Rajapoot,  a  native,  who  had  agreed  to  furnish  us 
with  wood,  brought  a  large  canoe  alongside  in  the 
evening,  containing  about  a  whale-boat  load,  which 
was  what  he  contracted  to  furnish.  After  we  got  it 
on  board,  the  captain  refused  to  pay  the  sum  agreed 
upon.  Rajapoot  argued  that  he  had  fulfilled  his  con 
tract,  and  was  entitled  to  be  honestly  paid  for  his 
wood ;  but  if  the  captain  wished  he  would  take  it 
back  again,  he  would  do  so.  The  captain  would 
neither  give  it  up,  nor  pay  for  it.  Rajapoot  went  off 
in  high  dudgeon,  swearing  he  would  raise  men  enough 
ashore  to  take  the  vessel.  As  soon  as  he  was  gone, 
we  were  set  to  work  clearing  away  the  casks  in  the 
blubber-room,  and  stowing  away  the  wood  under 
hatches,  it  being  the  design  to  pay  all  dues  "  with  the 
fore-top-sail."  We  were  ordered  to  go  to  work  very 
silently,  in  order  that  we  might  not  alarm  the  natives 
by  any  symptoms  of  preparation  to  put  to  sea.  That 


"RAISING    THE    WIND."  263 

they  might  suspect  nothing  unusual,  I  was  told  to  go 
out  on  the  jib-boom  and  "  blaze  away"  on  my  flute. 
I  thought  it  rather  a  hard  case  to  be  obliged  to  par 
ticipate  in  cheating  poor  Rajapoot,  light  as  the  duty 
assigned  to  me  was ;  but  this  was  not  a  matter  of 
taste.  The  American  portion  of  the  crew  all  grum 
bled  at  the  meanness  of  this  trickery ;  and  the  mate 
said,  "  if  he  could  raise  three  dollars,  he'd  pay  for  the 
wood  himself,  sooner  than  such  an  act  of  low,  stealthy, 
contemptible  meanness  should  be  attributed  to  a  ves 
sel  bearing  the  flag  of  the  United  States."  We  held 
a  private  consultation  about  raising  a  subscription  to 
pay  the  bil ;  but,  upon  examining  our  effects,  we 
were  not  able  to  scrape  up  even  two  dollars'  worth 
of  property ;  all  our  clothing  consisting  of  a  few 
miserable  rags,  for  which  we  felt  much  indebted  to 
the  outfitter. 

It  is  treatment  like  this  that  renders  the  natives 
treacherous  and  hostile.  There  has  been  more  done 
to  destroy  the  friendly  feelings  of  the  inhabitants  of 
islands  in  the  Indian  and  Pacific  Oceans  toward 
Americans,  by  the  meanness  and  rascality  of  whaling 
captains,  than  all  the  missionaries  and  embassies 
from  the  United  States  can  ever  atone  for. 

"  Pay  them  with  the  fore-top-sail !"  is  a  mode  of 
cheating  the  natives  as  common  in  practice  as  in 
theory.  Such  examples  will  invariably  be  followed; 
for  where  the  vices  of  civilized  life  are  sown,  there 
they  will  grow. 

Watches  were  kept  all  night  on  the  bow,  but  no 


264  FRUITS    OF    INDULGING    IN    FRUITS. 

attack  was  made.  Next  morning  a  strong  ebb  tide 
was  setting  out.  At  daylight  all  hands  were  called 
to  weigh  anchor.  The  wind  died  away  before  we 
doubled  the  sand-spit,  and  the  tide  drifted  us  ashore. 
We  got  out  two  whale  lines,  attached  to  a  small 
kedge  anchor,  with  which  we  warped  her  off  the  bar. 
A  violent  rain  storm  came  on  during  our  exertions 
to  get  off,  which  drenched  us  thoroughly,  and  by 
main  force  blew  us  off  the  bar.  After  we  had  gained 
the  middle  of  the  bay,  fine  starboard  anchor  was 
dropped,  and,  for  the  first  time  since  we  left  New 
Bedford,  all  hands  were  called  aft  to  "  splice  the 
main  brace." 

We  left  Bembatooka  Bay  in  the  evening  with  a 
Hindoo  passenger  on  board  for  Johanna. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

Cruelty  to  a  Portuguese  Boy. — Make  the  Comoro  Isles. — Visit 
from  the  Sheik's  Secretary. — Johanna. — Bay  of  Henzooanee. — 
Description  of  the  Town. — Hozain  and  his  Certificates. — Jack 
America. — Adventure  with  the  Sheik. — Description  of  Syed  Mo 
hammed. 

IN  the  course  of  a  few  days  several  of  the  crew 
were  laid  up  from  indulging  too  freely  in  fruit  and 
vegetables  ashore ;  and,  owing  to  the  number  unable 
to  do  duty,  we  could  lower  but  two  boats  after 
whales. 

"  There  she  blows !"  was  snug  out  one  morning ; 


CAPTAIN'S  AMIABILITY.  265 

"  a  large  school  of  whales  !"     The  larboard  and  star- 

o 

board  boats  were  lowered.     D ,  Tom,  Charlie, 

and  myself  remained  on  board  to  work  ship.  Frank, 
a  raw  Portuguese  lad  from  the  Western  Islands,  was 
put  at  the  helm,  being  very  unwell,  and  unable  to  do 

active  duty.      Captain  A was,  as  usual  when 

any  of  the  crew  were  sick,  in  a  savage  humor. 
Having  no  person  upon  whom  he  could  so  well  vent 
his  ferocity  as  upon  Frank,  he  roared  at  him  to  per 
form  so  many  impossibilities  with  the  wheel  that  the 
poor  fellow  became  confused.  The  sea  was  very 
rough,  and  it  was  impossible  to  keep  the  head  of  the 
vessel  to  the  wind. 

"  Steady  !"  thundered  the  captain. 

"  Can  no  keep  her  steady,"  said  Frank. 

"  Steady,  blast  you  !" 

"  She  no  stay  steady  !" 

The  captain  darted  furiously  upon  him,  and  struck 
him  a  severe  blow  on  the  head.  Pale  and  terrified, 
and  totally  ignorant  of  what  he  was  punished  for, 
the  poor  lad  hung  down  his  head  to  avoid  the  blows. 

"  You  dumb  animal,"  shouted  the  captain,  "  didn't 
I  tell  you  to  put  your  wheel  down  ?  Answer  me — 
answer  me,  I  say !  None  of  your  whining !  Til 
flog  the  senses  into  you,  if  you  don't  understand  me  ! 
That  scuttle-butt  knows  more  than  you  do  !  You're 
worse,  a  devilish  sight,  than  the  old  sow.  Won't 
you  speak — won't  you  ?" 

"  No  savey,  sare,"  replied  Frank,  who,  in  reality, 
did  not  understand  a  dozen  words  of  English. 

L  L 


266    NEW  MANNER  OF  TEACHING  ENGLISH. 

"  You  no  savey,  heh  !  Til  make  you  savey,  you 
blasted  two-pence  head  !  /'//  whale  English  into 
you  !  Til  see  that  you  understand  me  when  I  speak 
to  you  :"  so  saying,  the  captain  grasped  a  rope,  and 
with  all  his  might  struck  the  boy  across  the  face  five 
or  six  times. 

"Oh  capitan,  me  no  savey !"  cried  Frank,  staggering 
back,  stupefied  and  almost  blind.  "  Oh  Christ,  you 
kill  me  !  What  for  you  strike  me  V 

11  I'll  make  you  savey  !  You've  been  long  enough 
aboard  to  learn  English.  If  you  don't  learn,  it's  your 
own  fault.  Til  hammer  it  into  you.  Now  you  know 
what  you're  flogged  for,  don't  you  ?  Answer  me  ! 
Speak,  blast  you  !  Say  something,  you  dumb  beast ! 
Grunt,  if  you  will  be  a  hog  !  grurit,  I  say  !" 

Ignorant  of  what  was  said,  and  writhing  with  pain 
— for  his  face  was  swollen  with  blows — Frank  only 
endeavored  to  suppress  his  cries  of  agony,  as  the  cap 
tain  shook  him  by  the  hair,  and  repeated  the  blows 
with  the  rope.  If  ever  there  was  the  impersonation 
of  a  demon,  the  captain  was  one.  His  cheeks  were 
pale  with  rage,  and  his  mouth  foaming. 

"  Why  don't  you  answer  me  1"  he  yelled,  in  a  voice 
husky  with  passion.  "  Have  you  no  tongue  1  Are 
you  speechless  ?  If  you  can't  speak,  I  tell  you  to 
grunt.  Won't  you  do  it?  Grunt,  you  infernal 
blockhead  !  Grunt,  you  stupid  ass  !  Bray,  if  you 
can't  grunt.  Bray,  now,  or  I'll  make  a  zebra  of  you  ! 
I'll  stripe  your  back  !" 

Still  Frank  made  no  reply. 


CAPTAIN'S  JOKE.  267 

"You  shall  make  some  sort  of  noise,  I  swear!" 
said  the  captain ;  and,  swinging  back  his  arm,  he 
struck  Frank  with  all  his  strength  several  violent 
blows  on  the  head  and  face  with  the  rope's  end. 
Antoine,  a  boat-steerer,  who  was  standing  in  the 
waist,  believing  the  boy  was  about  to  be  murdered, 
ran  up  and  interfered.  This  man,  the  captain  well 
knew,  had  a  violent  temper  when  excited,  and  could 
stir  up  a  mutiny  among  the  Portuguese  at  any  mo 
ment.  Fearing  that  such  would  be  the  result  of  his 
cruelty,  he  endeavored  to  turn  it  into  a  joke,  by  ex 
claiming, 

"  Antoine  !  Frank  all  de  same  as  scuttle-butt.  He 
no  got  plenty  sense  all  de  same  as  hog.  Hog  can 
grunt ;  Frank  can  no  grunt !" 

No  one  laughed  at  his  joke,  however;  and  An 
toine,  disdaining  to  make  a  reply,  merely  addressed 
a  few  words  in  Portuguese  to  Frank,  and  walked 
forward  to  the  forecastle. 

Soon  after  this  the  captain  was  attacked  with  the 
jungle  fever,  which  prostrated  him  almost  to  the 
verge  of  the  grave.  Four  or  five  of  the  crew  were 
also  in  a  very  low  state.  I  can  not  describe  the  hor 
rors  of  our  situation,  without  incurring  the  charge 
of  exaggeration ;  yet  they  were  too  real  to  need  the 
aid  of  fiction.  The  Portuguese,  conscious  of  supe 
rior  numbers,  and  driven  to  desperation  by  hard  fare 
and  bad  treatment,  became  insolent  and  mutinous 
The  very  elements  seemed  to  combine  against  us. 
Day  after  day  we  drifted  about  in  strong  currents, 


268  DISTINGUISHED    VISITOR. 

and  beset  by  gales  and  heavy  rains.  If  ever  there 
was  a  hell  afloat,  the  Styx  was  one.  Things  were 
in  this  condition  when  we  made  the  Comoro  Isl 
ands,  on 

March  20th. — The  Peak  of  Mayotta  was  visible 
distant  twenty  leagues.  In  the  evening  we  made 
Mohilla,  another  of  the  Comoro  Islands. 

March  24 fh. — Anchored  in  the  Bay  of  Johanna. 
We  found  in  port  a  British  East  Indiaman,  and  the 

whaler  Bogota,  of  New  Bedford,  Captain  F . 

The  Bogota  had  been  out  ten  months,  and  had  not. 
heard  from  home  since  she  left. 

March  26th. — At  an  early  hour  this  morning  we 
were  visited  by  the  secretary  and  suite  of  his  high 
ness  the  sheik  of  Johanna.  Housein,  the  secretary, 
gave  us  to  understand  that  it  was  customary  for  ves 
sels,  before  coming  to  an  anchor,  to  present  Syed 
Mohammed,  the  sheik,  with  two  kegs  of  powder,  and 
as  many  pieces  of  calico  as  the  captain  might  feel 
disposed  to  part  with.  The  sheik  professedly  re 
ceives  no  port  charges,  but  generally  manages  to  ex 
tort  presents  of  this  kind  to  the  amount  of  eighty  or 
a  hundred  dollars  from  every  vessel  anchoring  in  the 
Bay  of  Johanna  for  refreshments  or  commercial  pur 
poses.  As  he  has  unlimited  control  over  the  natives, 
and  can  make  a  monopoly  of  the  sale  of  all  their  ar 
ticles,  this  system  of  fraud  is  carried  on  entirely  for 
his  own  emolument. 

The  waist  and  larboard  boats  were  sent  ashore  for 
fruit  and  vegetables.     I  belonged  to  the  waist  boat, 


EXCHEQUER    EXHAUSTED.  269 

which  was  commanded  by  the  second  mate,  a  friend 
of  mine,  and  had  a  fine  opportunity  of  seeing  the 
town  of  Johanna.  We  spent  the  day  ashore,  wait 
ing  for  the  natives  to  carry  down  the  recruit.  Ab- 
dilla's  slaves  were  to  bring  us  eight  or  ten  baskets 
of  potatoes  and  fruit,  which  our  friend,  the  Hindoo, 
had  promised  us  for  his  passage  from  Majunga.  I 
had  nothing  with  me  but  a  few  plugs  of  tobacco, 
with  which  to  purchase  curiosities.  Bembatooka 
Bay  had  left  me  pretty  low  in  regard  to  my  worldly 
affairs.  I  had  bartered  away  all  my  trifles  there ; 
and,  unless  I  pawned  or  sold  my  clothes,  I  couldn't 
make  "  a  raise."  We  were  all  in  debt :  and  money 
is  too  scarce  on  board  a  whaler  to  be  loaned  to  a 
beggarly  crew. 

The  boat-landing  at  Johanna  is  rocky,  and  conse 
quently  very  dangerous  in  rough  weather.  Artificial 
coves,  constructed  of  rocks,  protect  the  boats  from 
the  general  swell  of  the  sea,  butform  rather  an  indif 
ferent  barrier  at  high  tide,  or  during  the  gales  on  the 
changes  of  the  monsoons.  Near  the  shore  is  a  bed 

o 

of  white  coral,  extending  a  considerable  distance  into 
the  bay.  The  sea  is  so  clear  over  this  bed  of  coral 
that  bottom  can  be  seen  at  a  depth  of  ten  or  twelve 
fathoms.  One  can  almost  fancy  himself  floating  in 
the  air  over  magnificent  hills  and  valleys  of  coral,  so 
remarkably  transparent  is  the  water.  It  gives  some 
idea  of  the  enchanted  worlds  in  the  Arabian  Nights. 
Thousands  of  fish,  of  rich  and  varied  colors,  sported 
beneath  us ;  and  in  many  places  our  eyes  were 
charmed  with  beautiful  shells  of  different  species. 


270  TOWN    OF    JOHANNA. 

We  had  a  steady  pull  of  about  three  leagues  be 
fore  we  made  the  landing.  The  abruptness  of  the 
shore  and  the  height  of  the  mountains  render  the 
distance  very  deceptive.  The  cocoa-nut  trees  and 
orange  groves  were  distinctly  visible  from  the  ship, 
and  we  naturally  concluded  she  was  not  more  than 
four  or  five  miles  off;  but,  after  a  pull  of  two  hours, 
under  a  scorching  sun,  we  all  agreed  it  was  fully 
three  leagues. 

The  town  of  Johanna,  called  by  the  natives  Hen- 
zooanee,  stands  on  an  inclined  plane  at  the  foot  of  a 
mountain.  From  the  bay  nothing  is  seen  but  a  pile 
of  roofs,  commencing  apparently  at  the  water's  edge, 
and,  rising  gradually,  it  reaches  the  base  of  the 
mountain.  Upon  a  nearer  approach,  a  barrier  of  rude 
stone  walls  is  perceptible.  This  incloses  the  whole 
front  of  the  town,  and  forms  a  sort  of  semicircle,  the 
ends  of  which  are  blocked  up  against  an  immense 
pile  of  rocks.  Entering  by  a  dilapidated  gateway, 
we  struck  into  a  by-alley ;  but,  following  it  up,  we 
found  that  it  was  intersected  by  numerous  alleys  of 
the  same  description,  and,  in  fact,  found  it  impossi 
ble  to  get  out  of  it  without  entering  other  alleys 
still  narrower  and  more  filthy.  I  inquired  of  a  na 
tive  the  way  into  the  town,  and  was  told  that  we 
were  just  in  the  middle  of  it.  The  streets,  if  such 
they  may  be  called,  are  nearly  all  alike,  none  of 
them  being  over  five  or  six  feet  wide.  Most  of  the 
houses  are  built  of  stone  ;  and,  owing  to  the  narrow 
ness  of  the  streets,  a  continual  draught  of  air  passing 


CRAVING  FOR  TOBACCO.  271 

between  them  renders  the  whole  town  cool  even  in 
that  tropical  climate. 

We  were  stopped  by  every  passer-by  craving  a 
piece  of  tobacco.  What  we  had  about  us  we  gave 
away,  but  this  did  not  prevent  the  natives  from  per 
secuting  us.  Some  feigned  a  toothache ;  others,  a 
pain  in  the  jaw.  We  offered  them  medical  advice ; 
such,  at  least,  as  we  were  capable  of  giving ;  but  to 
bacco  is  the  only  remedy  they  profess  to  know  any 
thing  about. 

The  principal  object  that  attracts  the  attention  of 
a  stranger  in  Johanna  is  the  fort,  which  is  situated 
on  the  top  of  a  high  rock  back  of  the  town.  The 
ascent  is  made  by  rough  stone  steps,  now  in  a  ruin 
ous  condition.  I  was  told  that  the  British  East  In 
dia  Company  took  possession  of  this  fort,  and  made 
use  of  it,  during  the  days  of  their  commercial  pros 
perity,  to  protect  their  shipping  in  the  Bay  of  Johan 
na.  It  commands  every  point  of  the  bay,  and  is  dif 
ficult  of  access  to  an  enemy. 

Having  nothing  better  to  do,  I  ascended  the  Steps 
leading  to  the  gates  of  the  fort,  where,  for  a  trifling 
consideration,  I  hired  a  guide  to  show  me  the  forti 
fications.  Around  the  fort  is  a  wall,  which  incloses 
a  little  village  of  bamboo  huts,  containing,  at  a  rough 
guess,  about  a  hundred  inhabitants.  Both  the  vil 
lage  and  fort  are  crumbling  to  ruin.  The  guns  are 
lying  scattered  about  the  place,  rusty,  and  unfit  for 
use.  Immense  masses  of  abutments  hang  gaping 
over  the  town.  A  volcanic  eruption  in  the  neigh- 


272  HOUSE    OF    REFRESHMENT. 

boring  mountains  would  evidently  precipitate  them 
on  the  houses.  In  various  places  the  walls  are  mere 
piles  of  ruins,  covered  with  grass  and  moss.  Com 
manding,  as  it  does,  a  view  of  the  whole  town  and 
bay,  the  fort  of  Johanna  forms  quite  a  picturesque 
ruin,  and  a  few  hours  may  be  very  pleasantly  spent 
in  rambling  about  the  premises. 

On  my  way  back  through  the  town  I  met  a  light- 
complexioned  lad,  who  spoke  to  me  in  English,  and 
invited  me  to  his  house.  He  said  he  was  the  son 
of  an  Arab,  and  that  his  name  was  Hozain.  He 
made  a  living  by  trading,  and  furnishing  the  officers 
and  crews  of  vessels  with  dinners.  I  found  his  house 
a  clean  and  cool  retreat,  after  having  spent  two  or 
three  hours  under  a  burning  sun.  A  cloth  was  spread 
before  me  by  some  slaves,  and  plates  were  brought 
in  containing  oranges,  bananas,  poppies,  &c. ;  and  a 
Chinese  bowl  was  set  before  me  full  of  the  most  de 
licious  lemonade  I  ever  drank. 

While  I  was  paying  my  addresses  to  the  refresh 
ments,  Hozain  brought  me  a  pocket-book  containing 
certificates  and  recommendations  from  masters  and 
crews  of  vessels  who  had  favored  him  with  their  cus 
tom.  All  the  natives  who  transact  business  with  the 
shipping  have  papers  of  this  kind.  The  following 
will  serve  as  specimens : 

"  This  is  to  certify  that  Hozain,  a  native  of  Johan 
na,  is  an  intelligent  and  accommodating  lad.  I  have, 
on  various  occasions,  hired  him  to  transact  business 
for  me,  and  have  alwavs  found  him  industrious  and 


LITERATURE    AT    SEA.  273 

honest.  I  recommend  any  of  my  countrymen  who 
visit  Johanna  to  call  at  his  house,  if  they  wish  a 
good  dinner  on  reasonable  terms. 

" ,  Captain 

of  Barque . 

" ,  1842." 

The  next  is  rather  an  amusing  specimen,  and  may 
be  preserved  as  a  literary  curiosity : 

"  We  the  undersined  do  hereby  sertify  that  jack 
America  is  a  good  washewoman  and  a  fus  rate  help 
aboard  ship  we  got  him  to  wash  for  us  while  at  an- 
cor  hear  which  was  2  weaks  more  or  less  and  can 
say  to  all  Americans  that  he  is  an  honest  feller  hav 
ing  stole  but  2  shirts  from  us  the  hole  time  which  is 
sayen  a  grate  dele  as  the  nagers  will  all  steal  whin 
they  git  a  chanse  jack  does  all  kinds  of  jobs  on  reas 
onable  terms  for  tobacco  or  old  close  which  is  some 
times  very  convenient  for  saillers. 

"  Signed, , 

«( 

> 

"  Foremast  hans." 

At  the  earnest  request  of  Hozain,  I  gave  him  an 
additional  recommendation.  He  refused  payment 
for  the  refreshments  (I  had  nothing  to  give  him  if 
he  had  asked  payment).  Few  of  the  natives  will 
take  any  thing  for  fruit  or  lemonade,  when  they  in 
vite  a  stranger  into  their  houses.  They  will  accept 
any  quantity  of  tobacco,  but  in  a  case  of  this  kind  it 
must  be  given  to  them  as  a  present. 

MM 


274  JOHANNA    LADIES. 

I  met  my  friend  D soon  after  leaving  Ho- 

zain's.  Determined  to  see  what  the  Johanna  ladies 
were  made  of,  we  set  out  on  a  cruise,  having  been 
ashore  the  best  part  of  the  day  without  catching  a 
glimpse  of  the  dusky  beauties  of  the  town.  The 
Mohammedans  of  Johanna  strictly  adhere  to  the  old 
rule  of  keeping  the  women  under  lock  and  key 
when  strangers  are  about,  especially  sailors,  whose 
proverbial  gallantry  to  the  sex  they  look  upon  as 
dangerous. 

We  received  several  invitations  to  walk  into  the 
houses,  but  the  women  were  always  warned  of  our 
approach  by  the  shrill  "Hoad!  hoad!  hood!"  of  the 
master.  We  frequently  asked  why  this  extreme 
jealousy  existed,  and  the  invariable  answer  was, 
"'Tis  de  fashon  in  Johanna  !" 

"  What  are  you  afraid  of  1"  I  asked  an  old  Arab. 

He  shook  his  head,  and,  shrugging  his  shoulders, 
replied,  "  'Tis  de  fashon.  Mohammed  do  so.  No  good 
for  Christian  to  look  at  Mohammedan's  women." 

"  No,"  said  I.  "  Your  women  are  ugly.  You're 
ashamed  to  let  us  see  them.  Our  American  ladies 
are  much  better  looking,  no  doubt.  We  have  the 
prettiest  ladies  in  the  world.  No  wonder  you're 
ashamed  to  let  us  see  your  women." 

This  made  him  very  angry,  and  he  began  a  fiery 
harangue  in  broken  English : 

"  What  for  de  devil  you  want  to  see  our  women  ? 
'Tis  no  de  fashon  here.  Johanna  man  no  like  dis. 
Mohammed  find  it  out,  what  he  say  den  V ' 


JOHANNA    LADIES.  275 

"  I  presume  he'd  say  you  are  becoming  more  civ 
ilized." 

"  Got  damn  !  de  devil  you,  sir  !  We  great  peo 
ple  ;  we  all  de  same  as  English.  Syed  Mohammed 
all  de  same  as  King  George.  Suppose  I  go  to  your 
country,  I  no  talk  so.  I  no  want  to  see  your  d — d 
women  !  If  it  de  fashon  of  de  country,  very  good  ; 
I  like  to  see,  very  well.  If  it  no  de  fashon,  what  for 
I  W7ant  to  see  your  women  ?" 

A  sailor  let  loose  from  a  ship  is  no  better  than  a 
wild  man.  He  is  free  ;  he  feels  what  it  is  to  be  free. 
For  a  little  while,  at  least,  he  is  no  dog  to  be  cursed 
and  ordered  about  by  a  ruffianly  master.  It  is  like 

an  escape  from  bondage.  D and  I  felt  what  it 

was  to  be  at  liberty,  and  our  exuberance  of  spirits 
was  beyond  all  bounds. 

The  first  adventure  we  had  came  near  getting  us 
into  a  difficulty.  Passing  a  house,  we  saw,  peeping 
from  behind  the  door,  three  or  four  females,  with 
bright,  laughing  eyes.  Before  they  could  guess  our 
intention,  we  burst  in  upon  them.  Such  a  scene  of 
confusion  as  we  made  baffles  description.  Shrieking 
and  laughing,  they  attempted  to  make  their  escape 
through  a  back  passage,  but  we  were  too  fast  for 

them.  D closed  upon  them  on  one  side,  and  I 

on  the  other,  so  that,  by  a  well-managed  manceuver, 
we  soon  caught  a  good  armful  of  these  wild  damsels. 
Five  or  six  of  the  natives,  hearing  the  noise,  came 
running  up,  abusing  us,  and  using  all  kinds  of  violent 
and  threatening  gestures.  It  was  a  thing  that  had 


276  GALLANTRY    AND    TROUBLE. 

never  been  done  before.  They  raved,  swore,  flour 
ished  their  spears,  and  finally,  after  cooling  down  a 
little,  threatened  to  tell  the  sheik.  A  fierce-looking 
fellow  with  mustaches,  seemed  in  favor  of  Lynching 
us  after  the  fashion  of  the  Arabs,  which  is  simply  a 
dexterous  thrust  of  the  khunger.  We  took  advan 
tage  of  a  pause  in  the  row,  and,  to  use  an  expressive 
phrase,  made  ourselves  scarce. 

A  little  before  sundown  we  reached  the  boat-land 
ing,  where  we  found  Housein,  the  sheik's  secretary, 
Seidi  Rahma,  Ahamet  Baas,  and  other  distinguished 
characters.  Abdilla  and  his  slaves  had  brought  down 
the  fruit  and  potatoes.  Every  thing  being  ready,  we 
pushed  off  for  the  barque,  which  we  reached  after  a 
hard  pull  of  three  hours. 

Captain  A was  so  much  worse  during  the 

night  that  it  was  deemed  advisable  to  run  in  and  an 
chor.  We  got  up  the  larboard  and  starboard  chains 
by  noon.  At  two  o'clock  P.M.  we  dropped  anchor 
a  little  above  the  town,  and  went  on  board  the  British 
East  Indiaman  for  the  doctors. 

Canoes,  laden  with  shells,  bananas,  cocoa-nuts, 
popois,  melons,  guaras,  &c.,  crowded  round  the  ship 
in  great  numbers  during  the  evening.  The  natives, 
when  the  sheik  does  not  prohibit  trading,  sell  fruit 
very  cheap.  A  large  bunch  of  bananas  may  be  pur 
chased  for  a  plug  of  tobacco,  a  hundred  cocoa-nuts 
for  half  a  pound,  and  other  tropical  fruits  at  the  same 
rate. 

Among  the  products  of  the  island  are  rice,  maize, 


NATIVE    PRODUCTIONS.  277 

eassada,  mangoes,  pine-apples,  chalottes,  pumpkins, 
sweet  potatoes,  limes,  lemons,  and  such  fruit  as  I 
have  already  mentioned.  Bullocks  of  a  small  breed, 
goats,  sheep,  poultry,  and  pigeons  are  plenty  in  Jo 
hanna,  and  may  be  had  of  the  natives  at  reasonable 
prices.  Besides  the  various  products  of  the  island, 
the  natives  enjoy  other  luxuries.  They  carry  on  a 
considerable  trade  in  dans  and  chelingas  with  Bom 
bay,  Mauritius,  Madagascar,  Mozambique,  Delagoa 
Bay,  and  other  places  in  the  Indian  Ocean.  Ameri 
can  and  English  whalers  find  Johanna  a  very  con 
venient  stopping-place  after  a  long  cruise.  Its  fer 
tility  is  not  so  great  as  that  of  Zanzibar;  but  the 
climate  is  better,  and  ships'  crews  are  less  subject  to 
fevers  than  at  Zanzibar. 

The  natives  have  some  knowledge  of  the  arts,  and 
even  profess  the  sciences.  Silver-smiths,  tailors, 
painters,  chirographers,  and  astrologers  are  numerous. 
The  men  are  too  indolent  to  attain  any  high  degree 
of  proficiency  in  these  or  other  pursuits,  and,  conse 
quently,  the  chief  part  of  the  labor  devolves  upon  the 
females,  who  do  all  the  drudgery,  manufacture  cloths, 
mats,  baskets,  &c.  The  lower  classes  of  women  are 
considered  no  better  than  beasts  of  burden.  They 
appear  to  be  quite  indifferent  about  their  degraded 
condition. 

We  had  liberty  ashore  every  day  while  we  lay  at 
anchor.  I  saw  a  great  deal  to  interest  me  ;  also,  a 
great  deal  to  disgust  me. 

The  strictness  with  which  the  Mohammedans  ad- 


278  THE  SHEIK'S   MOSQUE. 

here  to  the  codes  of  their  church  would  do  honor  to 
more  civilized  people.  Still  there  are  customs  prev 
alent  among  them  which,  to  Christians,  seem  open 
violations  of  every  law,  moral  and  divine.  The  steps 
of  their  mosques  are  places  of  public  resort,  where 
the  citizens  assemble  every  evening  to  gamble. 
Groups  of  incorrigible  gamesters  may  be  seen  amus 
ing  themselves  in  this  way  while  the  devout  leader 
of  the  flock  is  reading  the  Koran  to  the  congregation 
within.  Even  the  venerable  priest  occasionally  re 
laxes  his  mind  by  taking  part  in  the  games.  To  gain 
admittance  into  the  mosque,  application  must  be 
made  to  him.  If  the  visitor  chooses  to  pay  two  shil 
lings  for  the  benefit  of  the  Prophet,  or  a  few  plugs 
of  tobacco  to  cure  an  incurable  toothache  with  which 
the  Prophet's  servant  is  afflicted,  he  can  go  in ;  but, 
if  he  is  not  disposed  to  be  charitable,  he  can  sit  down 
on  the  steps  at  the  mosque  door,  and  entertain  him 
self  at  cards  or  checkers  while  listening  to  the  read 
ing  of  the  Koran  ! 

Mr.  P and  I  visited  one  evening  the  sheik's 

mosque,  a  conspicuous  edifice,  which  may  be  known 
by  its  steeple.  We  had  nothing  to  give  the  priest 
but  an  old  jack-knife,  which  he  condescended  to  ac 
cept  after  a  good  deal  of  grumbling.  Abda  Selim,  a 
lad  whom  we  had  hired  as  a  guide  and  interpreter, 
informed  us  that  we  could  not  go  in  without  first 
having  our  feet  washed.  We  assured  him  that,  as 
we  had  just  enjoyed  the  pleasure  of  a  ducking  down 
at  the  boat-landing,  we  were  unexceptionably  clean. 


HOLY    CARPET.  279 

This  would  not  do  ;  our  feet  must  be  washed.  A 
speck  of  dirt  would  defile  the  carpet,  and  eternally 
damn  the  mosque.  Furthermore,  our  mouths  were 
scrupulously  examined,  lest  tobacco  or  any  other  foul 
and  nauseous  weed,  unsightly  in  the  eyes  of  the 
Prophet,  might  be  therein  concealed  from  the  vigi 
lance  of  sublunary  mortals.  These  preparatory  cere 
monies  being  over,  Selim  told  us  to  enter,  cautioning 
us,,  with  great  solemnity,  not  to  spit  upon  the  car 
pets  or  speak  above  a  whisper,  if  we  would  avoid  the 
wrath  of  the  Prophet.  The  floor  of  the  sheik's 
mosque  is  covered  with  mats  of  rich  and  beautiful 
colors,  and  on  these  the  congregation  kneel.  Around 
the  altar,  or  that  part  of  the  mosque  where  the  priest 
stands  when  reading  the  Koran,  the  floor  is  covered 
with  splendid  Persian  rugs  of  the  richest  texture  and 
color.  On  the  walls,  at  each  side  of  the  altar,  are 
curiously-designed  maps  or  charts,  which,  from  all  I 
could  gather  from  Selim,  show  the  latitude  and  longi 
tude  of  the  seven  heavens,  the  true  bearings  of  the 
infernal  regions,  the  rocks,  shoals,  and  sand-bars  to 
be  avoided  by  a  soul  bound  heavenward ;  all  orna 
mented  with  pious  mottoes  from  the  Koran,  to  be 
perused  by  departing  sinners.  The  building  itself  is 
very  plain  within,  and  not  more  than  sixty  feet  by 
forty  in  size.  Externally  there  are  some  rude  at 
tempts  made  at  architectural  ornament.  There  is 
a  clumsiness  and  want  of  system  in  the  buildings  of 
the  Arabs  which  all  their  filigree-work  can  not  dis 
guise. 


280  SYED    MOHAMMED. 

It  was  now  sundown.  Having  spent  an  hour  very 
agreeably  in  the  mosque,  wre  took  our  leave  of  the 
priest;  and,  accompanied  by  our  guide  Selim,  once 
more  made  our  way  through  the  labyrinth  of  narrow 
streets  to  the  boat-landing. 

One  fine  afternoon,  while  rambling  about  the  town, 
I  met  a  native  named  Jezzarine,  with  whom  I  had 
formed  a  slight  acquaintance.  At  his  request,  I  fol 
lowed  him  to  a  certain  part  of  the  town,  where,  he 
informed  me,  I  would  see  "  much  fine  thing."  We 
stopped  at  the  door  of  a  large  whitewashed  house, 
highly  ornamented  with  Arabian  filigree-work.  Un 
der  a  piazza  wras  seated  a  remarkably  handsome 
young  Arab,  surrounded  by  a  group  of  richly-dressed 
retainers,  who  seemed  to  regard  him  with  unusual 
deference.  From  his  general  appearance,  I  took  him 
to  be  some  distinguished  chieftain.  His  costume 
was  exceedingly  striking  and  graceful.  The  upper 
part  of  his  dress  consisted  of  a  kind  of  spencer  of 
rich  green  cloth,  beautifully  decorated  with  gold  and 
silver  ornaments  ;  a  gaudy  silk  vest,  fringed  with  tas 
sel-work;  and  a  loose  white  robe,  thrown  gracefully 
over  the  left  shoulder.  His  sash  was  of  the  most 
delicate  Persian  silk;  and  his  khunger,  or  dagger,  was 
highly  ornamented  with  jewels.  The  remainder  of 
his  dress  consisted  of  loose  white  pantaloons,  ex 
quisitely  embroidered,  and  a  pair  of  sandals,  in  which 
were  worked  symbols  and  devices  from  the  Koran. 
His  turban  was  singularly  rich  and  becoming.  In 
complexion  he  was  lighter  than  the  common  order 


MUSIC    AND    GREATNESS.  28] 

of  Arabs;  perhaps  owing  to  less  exposure.  I  think 
I  never  saw  a  more  perfect  face.  His  forehead  was 
high  and  expansive,  his  nose  a  true  Grecian,  his  eyes 
brilliant  as  diamonds,  and  his  mouth  and  chin  ex 
quisitely  chiseled.  I  saluted  him  with  my  most  po 
lite  bow,  which  he  returned  by  a  slight  inclination  of 
the  head,  and  a  smile  of  welcome.  Jezzarine,  who 
stood  behind  me,  pinched  my  elbow,  and  whispered 
in  my  ear,  "Takee  off  hat!"  I  did  as  he  desired, 
and  patiently  awaited  farther  orders. 

The  chief,  after  carefully  examining  me,  to  ascer 
tain  if  I  had  any  tobacco,  put  his  hand  in  my  pocket 
and  drew  out  my  flute,  which  I  joined  together.  He 
attempted  to  play  upon  it,  but  was  unable  to  pro 
duce  a  sound.  Nettled  at  his  failure,  he  handed  it 
to  me  rather  impatiently,  and  by  a  motion  expressed 
his  desire  to  hear  me  play.  I  did  so,  and  had  the 
good  fortune  to  throw  him  into  a  very  good  humor. 
He  enjoyed  the  music  as  well  as  I  could  wish ;  and, 
when  I  had  done  playing,  expressed  his  satisfaction 
by  clapping  his  hands  three  times.  I  thought  this 
was  intended  for  applause ;  but  I  soon  discovered 
that  the  applause  was  of  a  more  substantial  nature. 
A  slave  quickly  made  his  appearance.  The  chief 
spoke  a  few  words  to  him,  and  he  went  back  into 
the  house.  Presently  he  returned,  bearing  in  his 
hands  a  round  table  with  pewter  plates  upon  it,  con 
taining  oranges,  bananas,  dates,  mangoes,  and  other 
tropical  delicacies ;  also  glasses  containing  sherbet 
and  lemonade.  I  ate  and  drank  heartily  of  what 

N  N 


282  HORRIFIED    GUIDE. 

was  set  before  me ;  but  the  Arabs  would  not  join  me. 
However,  I  cared  little  about  that ;  the  refreshments 
tasted  quite  as  well  as  if  they  had  assisted  me.  I 
played  several  more  tunes  before  I  left;  laughed, 
talked,  and  danced  for  the  amusement  of  the  chief, 
and,  altogether,  made  myself  quite  at  home.  On 
parting,  I  shook  hands  with  the  crowd  all  round. 
Jezzarine  pinched  me  several  times  when  he  thought 
I  was  going  ahead  rather  too  unceremoniously ;  but 
I  paid  no  attention  to  his  hints.  After  we  had  turned 
a  corner,  and  were  entirely  out  of  the  hearing  of  the 
chief  and  his  followers,  Jezzarine  stopped,  and,  with 
horror  and  consternation  depicted  in  his  looks,  whis 
pered, 

"  You  savey  who  dat  ?" 

"  No,"  said  I ;  "  who  is  it  ?" 

"  What !"  he  exclaimed,  in  utter  amazement,  "  you 
no  savey  who  you  play  for  ?" 

"  No  ;  I  never  saw  him  before." 

"  Oh,  you  do  bad  ting ;  you  play,  you  dance,  you 
laugh  all  de  same  he  me  !  He  bery  mad.  Suppose 
ship  no  here,  he  kill  you !" 

"But  who  is  he  I" 

"  Who  ?  What  for  you  no  savey  HIS  HIGHNESS 
SYED  MOHAMMED,  GRAND  BIG  SULTAN  V 

Finding  this  neither  alarmed  nor  astonished  me  as 
he  expected,  Jezzarine,  disgusted  at  my  stolidity, 
started  to  leave  me,  expecting,  of  course,  that,  being 
in  the  densely-populated  part  of  the  town,  I  would 
be  compelled  to  call  him  back  to  guide  me  out.  Af- 


EVENING    RAMBLE.  283 

ter  following  me  for  two  or  three  squares,  dodging 
from  corner  to  corner  to  avoid  letting  me  see  him, 
he  thought  proper  at  length  to  overtake  me. 

"  Well,  I  no  leave  you,"  said  he ;  "I  good  friend 
to  you.  All  de  same  you  brother.  Me  bad  tooth 
ache  !  oh  !  me  bery  bad  toothache !  Tobac  little 
lit  ?  Hein  T 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

Mohammedan  at  Prayer. — Beautiful  Glen. — Upset  in  a  Canoe. — 
Bull  Fight. — Terrible  Combat  between  the  Down-Easter  and  the 
Bull. — Leave  Johanna. — Exciting  Whale  Chase,  and  Capture  of  a 
Whale. — Trouble  and  Discontent. — Make  Zanzibar. — Desertion 
of  three  Men. — Speech  of  the  Captain. — Condition  of  the  Crew. 

IN  the  course  of  my  rambles  next  day  about  Hen- 
zooanee,  the  town  of  Johanna,  I  fell  in  with  a  native 
of  Mauritius,  who  spoke  good  French.  A  slight 
knowledge  of  this  language  enabled  me  to  carry  on 
a  conversation  with  him.  I  found  him  very  intelli 
gent  and  obliging ;  and  I  was  much  indebted  to  him 
for  his  hospitality. 

The  evening  being  fine,  he  asked  me  to  take  a 
walk  with  him  up  the  Motoni,  a  beautiful  little  rivu 
let,  which  runs  through  the  upper  part  of  the  town. 
I  gladly  accepted  his  services  as  a  cicerone.  We 
followed  the  course  of  the  stream  for  about  a  mile, 
where  it  comes  foaming  down  between  the  mount- 


284  BEAUTIFUL    GLEN. 

ains,  forming  a  succession  of  picturesque  cascades. 
The  banks  on  our  way  were  covered  with  rich  green 
foliage  and  a  small  growth  of  trees,  under  the  shade 
of  which  is  a  pathway.  The  sides  of  the  mountains 
are  interspersed  with  groves  of  cocoa-nut  and  orange 
trees,  laden  with  fruit.  Above  them,  reaching  two 
thirds  of  the  way  to  the  peaks,  are  pastures  of  short 
grass,  upon  which  the  cattle  feed.  The  luxuriance 
of  the  vegetation  gives  the  mountains  a  rich  and 
beautiful  appearance.  Nothing  can  be  more  gor 
geous  than  their  verdure  during  the  summer  months. 
When  the  fleecy  clouds  which  generally  envelop 
the  peaks  are  blown  away  by  a  stiff  breeze,  immense 
masses  of  burned  clay  and  lava  are  exposed  to  the 
eye.  The  whole  scene  taken  at  a  glance  is  at  once 
bold,  rugged,  rich,  and  gorgeous.  Thousands  of 
canoes  are  seen  paddling  about  the  bay ;  and  here 
and  there  a  large  dan,  with  its  picturesque  sail, 
sweeps  across  with  a  life-like  grace  of  motion.  In 
describably  delightful  to  a  sea-farer,  who,  for  many 
long  months,  sees  nothing  but  the  broad  ocean,  is  an 
hour's  enjoyment  in  the  glens  of  Johanna,  where  he 
is  surrounded  by  all  that  is  soothing  and  refreshing : 

"  The  warbling  woodland,  the  resounding  shore, 
The  pomp  of  groves,  the  garniture  of  fields ; 
All  that  the  genial  ray  of  morning  gilds, 
And  all  that  echoes  to  the  song  of  even." 

We  were  pushing  our  way  through  the  brush 
wood,  when  my  guide,  who  took  the  lead,  beckoned 
me  to  stop,  at  the  same  time  pointing  up  the  ravine. 


MOHAMMEDAN    AT    PRAYER.  285 

Following  the  direction  of  his  finger,  I  perceived  an 
aged  Mohammedan  at  prayer.  The  ceremonies 
through  which  this  devout  follower  of  the  Prophet 
went  had  something  singularly  solemn  and  striking 
in  them. 

He  stood  upon  a  rock  surrounded  by  the  rippling 
current,  his  head  bowed  down  in  earnest  devotion. 
For  upward  of  five  minutes  he  maintained  the  same 
position,  motionless  as  a  statue.  He  then  raised  up 
his  head,  and  gazed  for  a  few  moments  in  the  heav 
ens,  when  he  took  a  string  of  beads,  and,  laying  them 
at  his  feet,  bowed  down  to  them,  and  kissed  them 
with  an  expression  of  sincere  humility.  This  cere 
mony  he  performed  three  times  in  succession.  Cross 
ing  his  hands  on  his  breast,  he  then  hung  down  his 
head,  and  continued  in  that  attitude  for  several 
minutes,  motionless  as  the  rock  upon  which  he 
stood.  I  was  struck  with  the  deep  humility  and  de 
votion  with  which  he  offered  up  his  prayers.  Though 
in  my  mind  the  victim  of  a  religious  delusion,  the 
true  spirit  of  adoration  dwelt  within  him.  His  was 
no  ostentatious  display  of  piety.  He  stood  alone, 
unconscious  of  the  presence  of  a  human  being.  Sur 
rounded  by  grand  and  imposing  scenery,  in  the  deep 
solitude, 

"  Where  heavenly  contemplation  dwells," 

he  offered  up  to  his  God  and  his  Prophet  the  genu 
ine  devotion  of  a  true  heart.  Certainly  there  never 
was  a  spot  more  suitable  for  worship.  Secluded 
from  the  busy  haunts  of  man,  the  solitude  of  the 


286  DEVILS    IN    THE    GLEN. 

glen,  and  the  beauties  of  the  scenery,  were  well  cal 
culated  to  inspire  religious  thoughts  and  feelings. 

In  about  an  hour  numbers  of  Mohammedans  came 
down  from  the  town  to  perform  their  ablutions  in  the 
stream.  My  new  acquaintance  told  me,  in  French, 
that  great  alarm  had  been  excited  among  the  natives 
on  the  previous  evening,  by  the  appearance  of  a  le 
gion  of  devils  in  this  little  glen.  I  smiled  at  the  idea 
of  such  characters  making  their  appearance  in  pub 
lic  ;  but  he  solemnly  assured  me  it  was  a  fact,  as  he 
had  seen  them  himself. 

The  boats  were  ashore  constantly  while  we  lay  at 
Johanna,  and  I  had  many  opportunities  of  seeing  the 
town. 

I  must  not  forget  to  mention  a  little  adventure  we 
had  previous  to  our  visit  to  the  mosque.  Our  barque 
being  a  considerable  distance  off  shore,  we  were  in 
vited  to  dine  aboard  the  Bogota.  Those  who  were 

o 

down  at  the  landing  in  time  took  off  the  boats,  so 

that  D ,  Bill,  Charley,  and  myself  were  obliged 

to  hire  a  canoe  from  one  of  the  natives.  The  only 
one  we  could  procure  was  in  a  very  unsafe  condi 
tion.  It  was  rather  a  frail  craft  for  four  of  us,  be 
sides  the  owner,  to  make  the  attempt  in ;  but  the 
greater  the  danger,  the  better  the  sport.  D ,  al 
though  he  could  not  swim,  was  determined  not  to  be 
left  behind.  Having  stowed  away  all  our  shells  and 
oranges  in  the  bottom,  we  shoved  off  The  canoe, 
unfortunately,  had  but  one  out-rigger,  and  it  had 
been  baking  so  long  in  the  sun  that  the  cracks  lay 


UPSET  IN  A  ROTTEN  CANOE.         287 

gaping  under  us ;  and  the  water  poured  in  much 
faster  than  we  could  bale  it  out.  We  expected,  how 
ever,  to  reach  the  ship  before  she  filled.  As  we 
were  pulling  and  bailing  with  all  our  might,  a  tre 
mendous  sea  struck  us  broadside  and  pitched  us  all 
over,  the  canoe  uppermost.  I  took  care,  the  moment 
we  were  upset,  to  climb  up  astride  of  the  canoe.  I 
could  not  contain  my  risibles,  when  I  looked  around 

me,  and  saw  D clinging  to  the  out-rigger,  while 

he  spluttered  and  blew  the  salt  water  up  like  a  por 
poise.  Bill  and  Charley  swam  for  shore.  The  old 
Arab,  who  did  not  at  all  relish  the  ducking,  and  the 
loss  of  a  few  plugs  of  tobacco  which  we  had  given  to 
him,  commenced  cursing  us  with  angry  vociferations 
for  upseting  his  canoe ;  and,  to  complete  the  fun,  the 
little  urchins  ashore  yelled  and  danced  with  delight. 
We  lost  no  time  in  running  the  canoe  ashore.  If  we 
had  lost  a  fortune  each,  instead  of  our  shells,  we 
would  not  have  laughed  less  heartily  at  the  catas 
trophe.  To  make  amends  for  lost  time,  we  hurried 
back  to  the  boat-landing,  and  there  hired  a  larger 
and  safer  canoe,  in  which  we  went  aboard  the  Bo 
gota  without  farther  accident.  The  brig's  crew  and 
our  own  shipmates  were  all  done  dinner.  However, 
we  made  a  hearty  meal  of  what  was  left,  and  joined 
in  the  general  laugh  which  our  account  of  the  upset 
occasioned. 

I  was  present  one  evening  at  a  favorite  entertain 
ment  of  the  natives,  which  they  frequently  have  for 
the  amusement  of  crews  ashore  on  liberty.  The  in- 


28S  BULL-FIGHT. 

habitants  of  the  interior  of  the  island  all  crowded 
down  to  the  town  to  witness  a  grand  bull-fight  The 
bull  had  just  been  brought  down  from  the  mountains, 
where  the  cattle  are  suffered  to  run  wild.  He  was 
of  a  small,  but  active  and  fiery  breed,  with  a  hump 
on  the  shoulders,  similar  to  the  Madagascar  cattle. 
The  arena  into  which  he  was  led  was  a  large  square 
back  of  a  ruinous  old  fort,  and  was  surrounded  by 
high  walls,  with  steps  built  of  stone  in  different 
places,  for  the  spectators  to  sit  upon.  A  large  con 
course  of  people  had  already  assembled,  and  were 
eagerly  awaiting  the  commencement  of  the  fight.  I 
got  up  on  the  steps  of  the  fort,  where  I  found  some 
of  our  crew,  and  several  of  the  Bogota's.  The  en 
trance  into  the  arena  was  directly  under  our  feet. 
We  were  just  at  an  agreeable  distance  from  the 
scene  of  action.  Suddenly  there  was  a  universal 
shout,  and  those  who  were  in  the  way  ran  toward 
the  gates  as  fast  as  possible  to  make  their  escape. 
A  moment  more,  and  the  trampling  of  the  bull's  hoofs 
was  heard.  The  champions  sprang  down  from  their 
seats,  and  stood  ready  to  receive  him.  Foaming 
and  panting,  he  rushed  in,  his  eyes  flashing,  his  flanks 
reeking  with  sweat,  and  his  nostrils  distended.  I  ex 
pected  to  see  a  sanguinary  strife,  but  was  disappoint 
ed.  The  fight  was  entirely  on  the  defensive.  The 
bull  rushed  upon  his  foes  with  great  fury,  upon  which 
the  one  attacked  jumped  nimbly  aside,  and  flung  out 
a  red  scarf.  Thus  every  attack  was  ended.  By 
means  of  a  rope  fastened  to  his  horns,  the  bull  was 


"DOWN-EASTER"  COURAGE.  289 

hauled  back  by  fifty  or  a  hundred  of  the  natives,  and 
a  second  and  third  onset  followed.  I  began  to  think 
this  way  of  fighting  a  bull  rather  a  dull  business, 
when  an  incident  occurred  that  gave  rise  to  a  good 
deal  of  fun. 

Our  "  down-easter,"  M'F ,  had  stationed  him 
self  on  an  abutment  in  the  arena,  with  three  or  four 
steps  leading  up  to  the  top,  where  he  could  have  a 
good  view  of  the  entertainment,  and,  at  the  same 
time,  enjoy  a  comfortable  degree  of  personal  security. 
He  seemed  highly  edified  with  the  sport,  and  oc 
casionally  gave  vent  to  his  satisfaction  by  shouts  of 
laughter  and  cries  of  "  Well  done,  old  critter !  Look 
out,  you  darned  niggers,  or  you'll  get  stuck  !  My 
gosh  !  ain't  he  savage  now !"  Mack  wore  a  red 
shirt,  which  now  and  then  attracted  the  attention  of 
the  worried  animal.  The  natives  having  wrought  it 
to  a  state  of  madness,  began  to  show  signs  of  fear, 
and  made  their  escape  through  a  small  aperture  in 
the  wall.  Mack  rolled  up  his  sleeves,  and  let  his 
courage  boil  over  in  the  most  warlike  strain.  Squar 
ing  himself  in  a  pugilistic  attitude,  he  shouted  at  the 
top  of  his  voice,  "  Come  on,  if  you  want  a  lickin' ! 
I'll  give  you  a  Yankee  touch,  old  feller !  I'll  orna 
ment  your  ugly  picter  with  a  pair  of  black  eyes ! 
Come  on,  sir !  come  on  !" 

The  infuriated  bull,  not  at  all  relishing  the  insults 
of  the  man  with  the  red  shirt,  turned  short  round, 
and  made  for  the  steps. 

"  Come  on !"  roared  Mack ;  "  come  up  here,  you 
O  o 


290  YANKEE    PUGILISM    IN    A    BULL-FIGHT. 

blamed  ugly-looking  critter !  Durn  your  orful  visage, 
I'll  show  you  a  thing  or  two !  I'll  spoil  your  nose 
for  you  !  I'll  do  you  bodily  damage  !" 

Snorting  and  pawing  the  ground  with  rage,  the 
bull  bellowed  and  shook  his  horns,  but  seemed  rather 
dubious  about  attacking  a  live  Yankee.  Mack  ca 
pered  about  like  a  madman,  and  made  sundry  scien 
tific  passes  within  a  few  feet  of  the  animal's  head,  to 
the  great  amusement  of  the  natives,  who  cheered  and 
roared  with  laughter. 

"  Why  don't  you  lay  into  me  1"  said  Mack,  kick 
ing  at  him.  "  Don't  you  savey  my  lingo,  you  bloody 
Aarah  ?" 

At  this  there  wras  such  an  uproar  that  the  bull, 
driven  to  desperation,  rushed  madly  up  the  steps,  bel 
lowing  frightfully. 

"Don't  you  come  so  nigh  !"  roared  Mack,  retreat 
ing  a  little,  and  stretching  forth  his  long,  bony  arms 
and  clinched  fists.  "  Don't  you  come  here,  I  say ; 
don't  you!  dorit  you!" 

The  last  words  were  scarcely  out  of  his  mouth, 
when  the  furious  animal  had  mounted  the  abutment. 
Fearing  that  the  battle  might  not  be  fairly  conducted 
in  so  dangerous  a  situation,  Mack  suddenly  turned  to 
run,  and,  yelling  at  the  top  of  his  voice,  "  Hold  on, 
darn  you !  Don't  you  come  here !  don't  you  /"  he  at 
tempted  to  escape.  The  bull  assisted  his  progress, 
by  picking  him  up  by  the  nether  extremities  and 
pitching  him  headlong  over  into  the  arena. 

"  Oh  gosh !  oh  gosh  !"  groaned  Mack,  flounder- 


"TAKIN     A    HORN.  291 

ing  about  on  the  ground  like  a  gigged  dolphin,  and 
endeavoring  to  get  away  before  another  such  onset ; 
"  oh  jeminy  gosh !  I'm  spoilt !  I'm  dead  as  a 
whistle!"  J 

Some  of  the  natives  rushed  in  at  this  critical  junc 
ture,  and  rescued  him  from  the  farther  violence  of  his 
rough  adversary. 

We  were  all  enjoying  a  hearty  laugh  at  Mack's 
expense,  W7hen  he  came  limping  up  to  where  we 
stood,  rubbing  his  bones,  and  looking  rather  used  up 
after  his  encounter.  Unable  to  resist  our  cachinna- 
tions,  he  joined  in  the  laugh,  and  asked  us  what  was 
the  fun. 

"  Why,"  said  some  of  the  crew,  "  airi't  you  dead 
yet  1" 

"  Dead,  gentlemen  !"  cried  Mack ;  "  not  yet  I  ain't. 
I've  only  been  takin'  a  horn.  Dead,  indeed  !  Why, 
ain't  I  the  man  '  wot  fit  the  bull  V  Ain't  I  the  man 
'  wot  pushed  the  bull  off  the  bridge  ?' ' 

Mack's  wit  was  irresistible.  We  suffered  nearly 
as  much  from  laughter  as  he  did  from  his  encounter. 
For  many  weeks  after  this  adventure,  he  was  called 
"  the  man  wot  pushed  the  bull  off  the  bridge." 

About  the  fifth  of  April  we  weighed  anchor,  and  set 
sail  from  Johanna  on  another  cruise. 

April  8th,  1843. — We  were  running  down  for  the 
Aldabra  Islands  with  a  fine,  steady  breeze.  The 
morning  was  bright  and  clear,  and  the  water  of 
that  peculiar  color  which  whalemen  regard  as  the 
favorite  resort  for  whales.  I  had  forenoon  watch 


292        ALDABRA    ISLANDS. WHALES    IN    SIGHT. 

below,  and  was  just  congratulating  myself  upon  get 
ting  through  with  my  "  double  altitudes,"  when  the 
loud,  clear  voice  of  a  man  at  the  mast-head  came 
ringing  dow%the  forecastle. 

"  There  she  blows !"  was  the  thrilling  cry. 


I.  Whales  seen.  2.  Whales  captured. 

"  That's  once !"  shouted  the  captain. 

"  There  she  blows  !" 

"  That's  twice,  by  jingo  !" 

"  There  she  blows !" 

"  Three  times  !     Where  away,  Tabor  V 

"  Off  the  weather  bow,  sir,  two  points." 

"  How  far  T 

"  A  mile  and  a  half.     There  she  blows  !" 

"  Sperm  whale  !     Call  all  hands  !" 

There  was  a  rush  on  deck,  each  man  trying  to 
get  to  the  scuttle  first.  Then  came  half  a  dozen 
loud  knocks,  and  a  hoarse  voice,  shouting, 

"  Larboard  watch  ahoy  !  Turn  out,  my  lads  ! 
Sperm  whale  in  sight !  Heave  out !  heave  out ! 
Lash  and  carry  !  Rise  and  chime  !  Bear  a  hand, 
my  lively  hearties !" 

Those  who  were  "  turned  in"  rolled  out  as  soon 
as  possible,  and  buckled  on  their  ducks,  and  in  less 
than  two  minutes  we  were  all  on  deck,  ready  for  or- 


"THERE    SHE    BLOWS  !'  293 

ders.  The  tubs  were  put  in  the  boats,  and  the  main 
yard  hauled  aback.  We  all  now  perched  ourselves 
in  the  rigging,  and  kept  a  sharp  look-out  on  every 
side  for  the  whale's  next  rising.  Twenty  minutes 
elapsed  since  the  spout  was  first  seen;  twenty-five 
passed,  and  the  captain  began  to  get  into  a  state  of 
nervous  anxiety.  We  strained  our  eyes  in  all  direc 
tions  to  "  make  a  spout."  Half  an  hour  flew  by,  and 
no  spout  was  seen.  It  began  to  look  like  a  hopeless 
case,  when  Tabor,  whose  visual  organs  appeared  to 
have  the  powder  of  ubiquity,  sang  out, 

"  There  she  blows !  there  she  blows  !" 

"  Where  now  ?"  roared  the  captain. 

"  Off  the  weather  quarter !  Two  large  sperm 
whales,  sir.  Go  it,  boots  !" 

"  Clear  away  the  boats !  Come  down  from  the 
mast-head,  all  you  that  don't  belong  there  !  Bear  a 
hand  !  we'll  take  them  this  rising !"  shouted  the  cap 
tain,  in  a  fierce,  sharp  voice. 

"  All  ready,  sir." 

"  Lower  away,  then !" 

The  waist  and  larboard  boats  were  instantly  down, 

ready  to  "bend  on."     Captain  A and  some  of 

his  boat's  crew  being  too  ill  to  man  the  other  boat, 
we  struck  off  for  the  whales  without  them.  I  pulled 
the  aft  oar,  as  usual ;  and  as,  by  this  time,  I  was  as 
tough  and  muscular  as  my  comrades,  the  boat  dan 
ced  along  the  water  in  fine  style.  Although  the  lar 
board  boat  was  much  easier  pulled,  and  had  the  old 
est  and  stoutest  of  the  whole  crew,  we  contrived,  by 


294  THE    CHASE. 

unusual  exertions,  to  keep  ahead  of  her,  till  the  real 
"  tug  of  war"  came.  Then  was  our  mettle  put  to 
the  test !  One  of  the  whales  was  leisurely  making 
to  windward  not  more  than  half  a  mile  off. 

"  Lay  back,  my  lads  !"  cried  P ,  pale  with  ex 
citement.  "  Keep  the  larboard  boat  astern  !  Never 
saj  die  !  That's  our  whale  !  Oh,  do  spring — do 
spring  !  No  noise  !  steady  and  soft's  the  word." 

We  replied  to  this  appeal  by  "  piling  up  the  ago 
ny"  on  the  oars.  Away  sprang  our  boat,  trembling 
and  quivering  as  she  darted  through  the  waves.  She 
really  seemed  to  imbibe  the  general  excitement  as 
she  parted  the  clear  blue  water,  and  dashed  it  foam 
ing  from  her  bows.  Onward  we  flew !  The  lar 
board  boat  was  hard  upon  our  stern ;  the  whale  roll 
ing  lazily  in  the  trough  of  the  sea,  a  few  darts  ahead. 

"  Oh,  lay  back  !  lay  back  !"  whispered  P , 

trembling  with  eagerness  not  to  be  outdone  by  the 
mate.  "  Do  spring,  my  boys,  if  you  love  gin  !  Now's 
your  time  !  now  or  never !  Oh,  see  him  !  see  him  ! 
how  quiet  he  lies !  Put  the  beef  on  your  oars,  ev 
ery  mother's  son  of  you  !  Pile  it  on !  pile  it  on  ! 
That's  the  way  to  tell  it !  Our  whale  this  time  !" 

The  moment  of  intense  excitement  now  arrived. 
We  pulled  as  if  for  life  or  death.  Not  a  word  was 
spoken,  and  scarcely  a  sound  was  heard  from  our 
oars. 

"  Stand  up,  Tabor !"  cried  P ,  in  a  low  voice. 

Peaking  his  oar,  Tabor  sprang  to  his  feet,  and 
grasped  a  harpoon. 


SPORT    UNDER    "  THE    FLUKES."  295 

"  Shall  I  give  him  two  irons  ?" 

"  Yes  ;  he  may  be  wild." 

Another  stroke  or  two,  and  we  were  hard  upon 
him.  Tabor,  with  unerring  aim,  let  fly  his  irons, 
and  buried  them  to  the  sockets  in  the  huge  carcass 
of  the  whale. 

"  Stern  all !"  thundered  P . 

"  Stern  all !"  echoed  the  crew ;  but  it  was  too  late. 
Our  bows  were  high  and  dry  on  the  whale's  head ! 
Infuriated  with  the  pain  produced  by  the  harpoons, 
and  doubtless  much  astonished  to  find  his  head  so 
roughly  used,  he  rolled  half  over,  lashing  the  sea 
with  his  flukes,  and  in  his  struggles  dashing  in  two 
of  the  upper  planks.  "  Boat  stove  !  boat  stove  !" 
was  the  general  cry. 

"  Silence !"  thundered  the  second  mate,  as  he 
sprang  to  the  bow,  and  exchanged  places  with  Ta 
bor.  "  All  safe,  my  hearties  !  Stern  hard  !  stern  ! 
stern  !  before  he  gets  his  flukes  to  bear  upon  us." 

"  Stern  all !"  shouted  we,  and  in  a  moment  more 
we  were  out  of  danger.  The  whale  now  "  turned 
flukes,"  and  dashed  off  to  windward  with  the  speed 
of  a  locomotive,  towing  us'  after  him  at  a  glorious 
rate.  We  occasionally  slacked  line  in  order  to  give 
him  a  plenty  of  play.  A  stiff  breeze  had  sprung  up, 
causing  a  rough,  chopping  sea ;  and  we  leaked  bad 
ly  in  the  bow  planks.  It  fell  to  my  lot  to  keep  the 
water  bailed  out  and  the  line  clear  as  the  others 
hauled  in  :  a  ticklish  job,  the  last ;  for,  as  the  second 
mate  said,  a  single  turn  would  whip  off  a  shin  "  as 
slick  as  goose-grease." 


296  TOWED    OFF    IN    STYLE. 

Notwithstanding  the  roughness  of  the  sea,  we 
shot  ahead  with  incredible  swiftness ;  and  the  way 
we  "walked"  past  the  larboard  boat,  whose  crew 
were  tugging  and  laboring  with  all  their  might,  was 
surprising. 

"  Hoora  for  the  waist  boat !"  burst  from  every 
lip.  Three  hearty  cheers  followed,  much  to  the  an 
noyance  of  the  other  boat's  crew  and  mate.  We 
exultingly  took  off  our  hats  and  waved  them  a  polite 
"  good-by,"  requesting  them,  if  they  had  any  news 
to  send  to  the  windward  ports,  to  be  quick  about  it, 
as  it  was  inconvenient  for  us  to  stop  just  then.  I 
believe  Solomon  says  it  is  not  good  to  be  vain-glo 
rious.  At  all  events,  while  we  were  skimming  along 
so  gallantly,  the  whale  suddenly  milled,  and  pitched 
the  boat  on  her  beam  ends.  Every  one  who  could 
grasp  a  thwart  hung  on  to  it,  and  we  were  all  for 
tunate  enough  to  keep  our  seats.  For  as  much  as  a 
ship's  length  the  boat  flew  through  the  water  on  her 
gunwale,  foaming  and  whizzing  as  she  dashed  on 
ward.  It  was  a  matter  of  doubt  as  to  which  side 
would  turn  uppermost,  until  Tabor  slacked  out  the 
line,  when  she  righted/  To  have  a  boat,  with  all 
her  irons,  lances,  gear,  and  oars,  piled  on  one's  head 
in  such  a  sea  was  rather  a  startling  prospect  to  the 
best  swimmer. 

Meantime  the  whale  rose  to  the  surface  to  spout. 
The  change  in  his  course  had  enabled  the  mate's 
boat  to  come  up ;  and  we  lay  on  our  oars  in  order 
that  Mr.  D might  lance  him.  He  struck  him  in 


LEVIATHAN    DEATH-STRUGGLES.  297 

the  "life"  the  first  dart,  as  was  evident  from  the 
whale's  furious  dying  struggles ;  nevertheless,  in  or 
der  to  make  sure,  we  hauled  up  and  churned  a  lance 
back  of  his  head. 

I  can  not  conceive  any  thing  more  strikingly  aw 
ful  than  the  butchery  of  this  tremendous  leviathan 
of  the  deep.  Foaming  and  breaching,  he  plunged 
from  wave  to  wave,  flinging  high  in  the  air  torrents 
of  blood  and  spray.  The  sea  around  was  literally  a 
sea  of  blood.  At  one  moment  his  head  was  poised 
in  the  air ;  the  next,  he  buried  himself  in  the  gory 
sea,  carrying  down  in  his  vast  wake  a  whirlpool  of 
foam  and  slime.  But  this  respite  was  short.  He 
rose  again,  rushing  furiously  upon  his  enemies ;  but 
a  slight  prick  of  a  lance  drove  him  back  with  min 
gled  fury  and  terror.  Whichever  way  he  turned, 
the  barbed  irons  goaded  him  to  desperation.  Now 
and  again  intensity  of  agony  would  cause  him  to 
lash  the  waters  with  his  huge  flukes,  till  the  very 
ocean  appeared  to  heave  and  tremble  at  his  power. 
Tossing,  struggling,  dashing  over  and  over  in  his 
agony,  he  spouted  up  the  last  of  his  heart's  blood. 
Half  an  hour  before  he  was  free  as  the  wave,  sport 
ing  in  all  the  pride  of  gigantic  strength  and  unrival 
ed  power.  He  now  lay  a  lifeless  mass :  his  head 


298  CAPTAIN    SICK. 

toward  the  sun,  his  tremendous  body  heaving  to  the 
swell,  and  his  destroyers  proudly  cheering  over  their 
victory ! 

Shortly  after  we  left  Johanna,  two  of  the  foremast 
hands  were  chosen  to  stand  watches  below  with 
the  captain,  whose  illness  increased  every  day.  He 
was  so  ferocious  and  ill-natured,  however,  that  no 
body  could  stand  it  more  than  a  day  or  two.  He 
finally  sent  forward  for  me,  and  I  was  promoted  doc 
tor.  My  situation  was  very  unpleasant.  On  the 
one  hand,  I  had  to  bear  all  the  ill  usage  which  the 
captain  chose  to  inflict  upon  me,  and,  on  the  other, 
the  crew,  ever  ready  to  growl,  complained  that  a 
preference  was  shown  to  me  in  giving  me  the  light 
est  duty — a  duty  which  they  had  refused  themselves. 
None  of  the  officers  would  have  any  thing  to  do 
with  the  old  man.  The  whole  care  of  attending  to 
him  devolved  upon  me.  I  felt  that  to  desert  him 
when  he  was  deserted  by  his  own  officers  would  be 
ungenerous ;  and  for  many  days  and  nights  I  stood 
by  him,  subjected  incessantly  to  the  most  brutal  and 
insulting  language. 

One  of  the  boat-steerers,  a  Portuguese,  came 
down  one  day,  and  told  him  that  the  mate  was  in 
the  habit  of  rope's-ending  Frank,  and  that,  if  he 
did  not  put  a  stop  to  it,  there  would  be  a  mutiny 
among  the  Portuguese.  After  supper,  the  officers 
were  all  called  down,  and  the  cabin  cleared  of  listen 
ers.  There  was  a  general  row  below,  the  result  of 
which  was,  that  I  was  called  down  as  soon  as  the 


HE    IS    CROSS. PLEASANT    GRATITUDE.          299 

trial  was  over,  and  accused  of  being  the  instigator  of 
the  mischief. 

"  B ,  what  have  you  been  telling  the  officers  ?" 

demanded  the  captain,  in  a  savage  voice. 

The  question  surprised  me,  for  I  had  never  told 
the  officers  any  thing  that  had  transpired  in  the 
cabin.  I  had  enough  to  do  to  attend  to  my  own 
difficulties,  much  less  to  meddle  between  the  captain 
and  officers. 

My  reply  was  that  I  told  them  nothing. 

"  You  lie !  You  have  been  retailing  all  I  said  to 
you  about  them." 

"  I  have  not,"  said  I. 

"  Don't  tell  me  that — don't  lie  to  me !"  shouted 
the  captain,  impotent  with  rage,  and  with  a  face  of 
ghastly  paleness. 

"  You  are  mistaken,  sir ;  and  if  you  think  I  could 
be  guilty  of  any  thing  so  mean,  the  sooner  I  go  back 
to  the  forecastle  the  better." 

"  Well,  go  ;  I  want  no  tell-tales  about  me." 

I  thought  this  was  a  rather  ungenerous  return  for 
all  the  care  I  had  bestowed  upon  him  ;  and  I  answer 
ed  by  reminding  him  that  it  was  at  his  own  solicita 
tion  I  had  come  to  attend  him ;  that  I  had  never 
courted  his  confidence,  or  encouraged  any  allusions 
to  the  officers  ;  and  that,  if  he  chose  to  forget  himself 
so  far  as  to  make  a  confidant  of  a  fore-mast  hand,  he 
need  not  be  surprised  if  mischief  should  arise  out  of 
it,  but  that  he  ought  to  be  sure  of  the  fact  first,  be 
fore  he  accused  me  of  being  the  instigator  of  the 
mischief. 


300  PLEASANT    GRATITUDE. 

I  then  went  forward,  heartily  glad  of  my  release 
from  a  duty  so  irksome.  At  two  P.M.  the  captain 
sent  for  me.  He  had  learned  the  true  source  of  the 
disturbance  during  my  absence  from  the  cabin. 
The  mate  had  overheard  some  of  his  remarks,  and 
had  told  him  of  it,  to  remove  the  imputation  from  me. 
As  I  went  below,  I  thought,  of  course,  I  was  about  to 
receive  the  amende  honorable. 

"  Well,  B ,  are  you  going  to  desert  me  ?"  said 

the  old  man,  in  a  whining  voice. 

"  You  drove  me  away  yourself,  sir." 

"Very  well,  go  forward.  My  officers  won't  do 
any  thing  for  me,  and  the  crew  have  all  deserted  me. 
I  can  die,  I  guess.  I  don't  want  you  to  stay  with 
me  against  your  will." 

I  could  not  but  pity  the  poor  wretch,  little  as  he 
deserved  it. 

"  Sir,  you  have  brought  this  on  yourself.  You  ac 
cuse  me  of  things  of  which  I  am  not  guilty.  I  think, 
therefore,  I  had  better  stay  where  I  shipped  to  stay." 

"  Go,  then ;  you'll  be  sick  yourself  some  of  these 
days ;  and  mark  me,  if  you  rot  in  the  forecastle,  don't 
call  on  me !" 

This  was  his  apology  for  the  wrong  done  me.  I 
might  have  known  what  to  expect,  had  I  reflected  a 
little.  Certainly  it  was  natural  enough  to  look  for 
decent  treatment  after  the  close  attention  I  had  be 
stowed  upon  him  during  his  painful  illness,  though 
I  had  only  discharged  my  duty  as  a  fellow-creature. 

May  6th. — Made  the  Island  of  Zanzibar,  bearing 


MAKE    THE    ISLAND    OF    ZANZIBAR.  301 

S.S.W.,  distant  twenty  miles.  We  spent  two  days 
in  a  vain  attempt  to  make  the  southern  point  of  the 
island,  and  finally  had  to  put  to  sea  again,  being 
driven  as  far  as  the  Island  of  Pemba  by  strong 
southerly  currents. 

May  20 th. — After  two  weeks  of  great  hardship 
and  suffering,  owing  to  continual  exposure  to  strong 
shifting  winds  and  rains,  the  watch  on  deck  made 
land.  At  daylight  we  ran  down  for  it,  and  discov 
ered  that  it  was  the  coast  of  Africa  to  the  northward 
of  Monfea.  By  an  observation  at  noon  \ve  found 
that  we  were  in  the  latitude  of  7°  10'  S.  During 
the  day  we  passed  a  great  number  of  reefs  and  isl 
ands  a  few  leagues  from  the  main  land.  At  night, 
anchored  about  three  miles  offshore. 

May  21st. — All  hands  were  called  at  daylight. 
Weighed  anchor  and  stood  along  the  coast,  passing 
a  great  number  of  beautiful  little  islands,  some  of 
which  were  inhabited.  About  noon  we  made  Zan 
zibar  at  Ras  Kizimbas,  the  southern  point.  Stood 
along  shore  till  dark,  and  cast  anchor  in  eight  fathoms 
of  wrater,  about  two  leagues  from  N'Googa,  the  town. 

May  22d. — Anchor  watches  were  set,  and  we  en 
joyed  a  comfortable  night's  rest  after  the  fatiguing 
duties  of  the  last  three  weeks.  At  daylight  the 
hands  were  called,  and  the  larboard  boat  lowered  to 
make  soundings  toward  the  town.  After  breakfast 
we  weighed  anchor  and  made  sail.  At  ten  A.M. 
came  to  an  anchcor  about  half  a  mile  off  the  town, 
below  the  sultan's  frigate,  Sha-Halm. 


302  PLANNING    DESERTION. 

We  found  our  old  friend,  the  Bogota,  ashore, 
wrecked — her  fore-top-mast  gone,  and  her  rigging  in 

great  disorder.  Captain  F and  three  or  four 

of  his  men  were  living  ashore  in  a  bamboo  hut. 
We  learned  from  them  that  the  Bogota  had  struck 
upon  a  coral  reef  about  the  latitude  of  11°  S.,  and 
her  top-mast  went  overboard.  She  leaked  so  badly 
that  the  greater  part  of  her  crew  abandoned  her, 
and  started  in  two  boats,  under  the  command  of  the 

mate,  for  the  coast.  Captain  F remained,  with 

three  or  four  hands,  on  board  until  the  tide  rose, 
when  he  succeeded  in  getting  her  off  He  then  ran 
down  for  the  Island  of  Zanzibar,  and  when  off  the 
eastern  side,  sent  ashore  for  assistance.  The  sultan 
sent  a  number  of  slaves  to  aid  him  in  getting  round 
to  the  anchorage.  One  of  his  men  had  already  died 
from  exposure  to  the  night  dews,  and  two  others 
were  prostrated  with  a  high  fever.  The  cargo,  with 
the  exception  of  about  twenty  barrels  of  oil,  was 
saved. 

May  23d. —  The  starboard  watch  had  liberty 
ashore.  It  was  a  preconcerted  plan  that  several  of 
the  crew  were  to  desert  upon  the  first  opportunity. 
Drawn  together  by  a  common  understanding,  we 
had  assembled  in  the  forecastle  every  evening  since 
we  made  land,  to  concert  measures  for  ridding  our 
selves  of  the  many  grievances  under  which  we  la 
bored.  We  were  now  a  reckless  and  desperate 
gang.  We  had  been  driven  almost  to  the  verge  of 
a  mutiny  by  the  harsh  and  brutal  manner  in  which 


DESERTION.  303 

we  were  treated,  and  the  hard  fare  upon  which  we 
were  compelled  to  live.  The  more  we  dwelt  upon 
these  things,  the  more  excited  became  our  passions. 
Bitter  wrongs ;  the  cruelties  and  oppressions  to 
which  we  were  subjected ;  the  necessity  for  some 
change,  were  discussed  with  fierce  imprecations 
upon  the  head  of  the  tyrant. 

The  men  looked  up  to  me  as  an  adviser,  and  al 
though  I  preached  moderation,  I  did  not  feel  it.  I 
showed  them  the  necessity  of  keeping  cool  till  a 
suitable  opportunity  occurred  of  presenting  their 
wrongs  before  the  American  consul;  but  those  of 
them  who  had  been  to  sea  before  knew  too  well 
that  consuls  are,  in  many  instances,  but  the  aiders 
and  abettors  of  the  cruelties  of  captains.  I  knew 
that  it  was  useless  to  go  aft  and  make  an  appeal  to 
the  captain,  but  I  also  knew  that  any  thing  like  mu 
tiny  would  be  severely  punished.  I  therefore  advis 
ed  them  to  keep  quiet  till  a  proper  opportunity  oc 
curred,  and  then  rid  themselves  of  their  troubles  by 
staying  ashore. 

Fearing,  from  some  treachery  of  the  Portuguese, 
that  it  was  the  intention  of  some  of  the  crew  to  de 
sert,  the  captain  called  us  all  aft,  before  the  starboard 
watch  went  ashore,  and  thus  addressed  us : 

"  Now  you're  going  ashore.  Before  you  go,  let 
me  tell  you  what  to  expect.  The  natives  will  mur 
der  you  if  you  go  outside  the  town.  You'd  better 
keep  in  sight  of  the  ship,  and  not  trust  'em.  You 
hear  me,  don't  you  I  The  consul  says  he'll  put  you 


304  DESERTION. 

in  the  fort  if  you  stay  ashore  after  dark.  I'll  send  a 
boat  for  you  at  sundown,  and  if  you  ain't  on  the 
beach,  look  out !  that's  all." 

When  the  boat  came  alongside  that  evening  two 
of  the  watch  were  missing — Bully  and  Tom  Vernon. 
This  was  only  a  beginning.  The  captain  was  in  a 
perfect  fury,  and  walked  the  quarter-deck,  speaking 
aloud, 

"Yes,  they're  gone;  an'  I  suppose  you'll  all  be 
tryin'  it  next.  You'd  better  not !  Til  catch  'em, 
and,  d — n  their  souls,  I'll  warm  their  backs.  I'll  see 
whether  my  crew  will  leave  me  or  not !  You'll  not 
have  watch  ashore  another  one  of  you.  It  'ill  stop 
here ;  I'll  not  lose  any  more  men,  if  I  can  help  it !" 

In  order  to  carry  out  his  threat,  the  officers  receiv 
ed  orders  to  keep  all  hands  on  board.  Strict  watch 
es  of  the  boat-steerers  were  set  at  night  to  prevent 
us  from  deserting.  The  captain  hired  four  natives 
to  row  him  ashore;  and  for  six  days  we  remained 
on  board  in  a  perfect  state  of  despair,  only  allowed 
ashore  occasionally  to  work  hard  under  the  eyes  of 
officers. 

Notwithstanding  the  vigilance  of  the  watches  set 
over  us,  the  cook  made  his  escape  on  the  night  of 
the  28th.  While  the  officer  was  aft,  he  slipped 
down  over  the  head,  with  his  bundle  of  clothes  on 
his  back,  and  swam  ashore. 

The  captain  was  rowed  ashore  next  morning  by 
his  black  crew.  After  he  had  left  the  vessel,  there 
was  quite  an  entertaining  adventure  occurred  to  re- 


SWIMMING    FOR    IT.  305 

lieve  the  monotony  of  our  prison  life.  The  Portu 
guese,  who  had  become  very  insolent  and  impatient 
under  the  restraints  imposed  upon  them,  determined 
that,  as  there  was  nothing  to  do  on  board,  and  no 
liberty  allowed  them,  they  would  have  it  in  defiance 
of  orders.  Enos,  George,  Manuel,  and  Jose  entered 
into  an  agreement  to  swim  ashore,  and  the  rest  of 
the  Portuguese  agreed,  if  called  upon  by  the  mate  to 
man  the  boat,  that  they  would  be  so  slow  about  it  as 
to  afford  the  deserters  a  chance  to  reach  the  beach. 
Manuel  and  Jose,  after  a  good  deal  of  talk,  backed 
out,  being  afraid  of  the  mate.  The  other  two,  Enos 
and  George,  slipped  down  by  the  cat-heads,  and 
struck  out  boldly  for  the  beach.  They  had  pro 
ceeded  about  two  hundred  yards,  when  the  mate, 
happening  to  cast  his  eye  in  that  direction,  discov 
ered  them. 

"Lower  away  a  boat!"  he  roared.    "Jump  in, 

Tabor !    Stand  by  the  davit-tackles,  B !     Blast 

your  souls,  where  are  you  all  V 

The  Portuguese  came  up  out  of  the  forecastle,  ap 
parently  somewhat  astonished,  and  inquired  if  there 
was  a  sperm  whale  in  sight.  After  a  volley  of  oaths 
from  the  mate,  four  of  the  crew,  among  whom  was 
myself,  were  gathered  together,  and  the  boat  was 
lowered.  The  tackles  were  all  foul,  and  it  took  us 
some  ten  minutes  to  get  them  clear.  A  good  deal 
of  delay  occurred  also  in  shipping  our  oars ;  but  we 
finally  arranged  every  thing,  and  started  off  in  pur 
suit  of  the  fugitives.  As  we  were  not  pulling  for 

a  Q 


306  OVERHAULED. 

whales,  the  oars  were  in  no  danger  of  being  broken 
by  any  vigorous  exertions  on  our  part.  Seeing  the 
boat  in  chase  of  them,  the  deserters  came  to  a  halt, 
and  we  picked  them  up  within  a  few  cable  lengths 
of  the  shore.  As  soon  as  we  got  on  board  and  hoist 
ed  the  boat  upon  the  cranes,  the  mate  came  forward 
and  addressed  us  in  a  very  pithy  and  forcible  speech. 

"  Now,"  said  he,  puffing  and  blowing,  after  the  ad 
venture,  "  what  the  nation  d'ye  all  mean  by  this  1 
I'll  let  some  of  you  know  who  I  am,  if  I  catch  you 
at  such  tricks  again.  You  want  to  get  me  into 
trouble — that's  it.  None  of  your  Portuguese  lingo 
on  deck  !  I'll  see  if  I  can't  keep  you  on  board.  I've 
received  orders  to  seize  you  up  in  the  main  rigging 
if  I  catch  any  of  you  attempting  to  desert.  If  you 
wan't  liberty  ashore,  talk  to  the  captain  ;  he's  the 
boss.  If  I  had  my  way,  you'd  all  be  ashore,  and  in 
Halifax,  for  what  I  care.  You're  a  gang  of  bloody 
cowards,  or  you'd  speak  to  the  captain.  If  you 
think  to  impose  on  me  because  I'm  easy,  you're 
damnably  mistaken.  You'll  see  what  I  can  be,  if 
you  carry  things  too  far." 

When  Captain  A came  on  board,  the  two 

delinquents  were  called  aft,  and  confined  in  the  cab 
in.  Mr.  D was  then  called  to  an  account  for 

what  the  captain  termed  negligence  in  suffering 
these  men  to  get  away  from  the  vessel.  A  quarrel 
ensued.  The  mate  denied  that  it  was  owing  to  any 
negligence  on  his  part.  The  captain  called  him  a 
liar. 


BILL    MANN    GONE.  307 

"  Yes,"  said  he,  hoarse  with  passion,  "  it's  a  d — d 
lie  !  If  you  had  been  attending  to  your  business,  it 
wouldn't  have  occurred." 

"Captain  A ,  I  have  given  you  to  understand 

that  I  won't  suffer  any  such  language  from  you  or 
any  other  man.  Now  I  tell  you  stop  it  in  time." 

"  What !  do  you  threaten  me  1" 

"I  tell  you  for  your  own  good.  Stop  it,  sir — 
that's  all !" 

And  with  a  meaning  shake  of  the  head  the  mate 
went  below. 

Next  day  Bill  Mann  got  ashore,  and  made  an  ex 
change  with  Captain  F 's  cook,  a  negro,  who, 

for  a  trifling  sum  to  boot,  took  Bill's  place  on  board 
the  Styx.  There  were  now  in  the  forecastle,  besides 

the  Portuguese,  only  M'F ,  Charley,  and  myself. 

It  was  a  perfect  bedlam.  The  Portuguese  had  be 
come  so  brutal  and  overbearing,  that  it  was  worse 
than  death  to  live  among  them.  The  captain  had, 
during  the  whole  voyage,  sided  with  them,  and 
showed  a  strong  preference  for  them  over  the  Amer 
icans,  so  that  they  were  countenanced  in  all  their 
brutality. 


308  ALL    IN    THE    SULKS. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

Effects  of  ill  Treatment. — Scene  in  the  Forecastle. — Combination 
to  refuse  Duty. — A  bad  Predicament. — Revolt. — Dreadful  Con 
dition  of  Things  on  Board. — Appeal  to  the  Consul. — Interview  with 
him. — Exertions  to  find  a  Substitute. — Disappointment. — Sus 
pense. — Hope. — Another  Disappointment. — Bargain  with  a  Quad 
roon. — Swapping  Places  with  a  Negro. — Procure  my  Discharge. — 
A  happy  Release. — Good-by  to  the  Styx. 

THINGS  were  now  in  the  worst  possible  condition. 
Three  men  had  deserted ;  others  had  threatened  to 
desert.  The  captain  was  terribly  out  of  humor. 
The  mate  chuckled  in  his  sleeve,  and  would  have 
rejoiced  had  all  hands  followed  the  example  of  the 
deserters.  All  this  trouble  was  nuts  to  him.  To 
weigh  anchor  for  another  cruise  without  our  full  com 
plement  of  men  was  out  of  the  question.  We  had 
all  sufficiently  tested  the  hardship  of  whaling  with 
two  boats.  It  was  not  probable  the  deserters  would 
be  retaken,  and  there  were  no  men  to  be  had  ashore 
except  the  natives.  Still  it  seemed  hardly  fair  that, 
with  the  prospect  of  a  week  or  two  in  port,  and  lit 
tle  to  do,  our  liberty  should  be  stopped  for  an  offense 
of  which  others  were  guilty. 

May  25th. — 1  went  below,  as  usual,  after  supper. 
The   Portuguese    were    in    earnest    conversation. 

M'F and  Charley  were  also  talking  over  some 

deeply  interesting  subject.     There  was  a  sudden 
cessation  of  the  conversation  the  moment  I  entered 


MUTINOUS.  309 

the  forecastle.  It  was  evident  something  profoundly 
mysterious  was  going  on.  I  inquired  what  wras 
afloat,  but  received  only  an  evasive  answer,  which 
tended  to  increase  my  suspicion.  Shortly  after  I 
had  turned  in,  Charley  came  to  my  bunk,  and  whis 
pered, 

"  We  have  all  agreed  to  refuse  duty.  What  do 
you  think  of  it  ?  Will  you  go  on  deck  in  the  morn 
ing,  or  stay  below  1" 

"  Why,  what's  the  matter  ?"  said  I. 

"  Matter  enough.  We  don't  want  to  be  slaves 
any  longer.  We  are  determined  to  have  liberty 
ashore,  or  weigh  anchor  and  put  to  sea  at  once." 

The  Portuguese  overheard  us,  and  joined  with 
Charley,  protesting  with  oaths  that  they'd  go  to  sea 
or  have  liberty  ashore,  one  or  the  other,  and  that  I'd 
better  join  them,  if  I  didn't  want  to  get  myself  into 
trouble.  I  remarked  that  the  trouble  would  most 
probably  be  on  their  side,  and  warned  them  of  the 
consequences  which  might  ensue  from  a  revolt  of  this 
kind.  They  were  all  in  a  high  state  of  excitement, 
however,  and  would  not  listen  to  argument  or  reason. 
For  my  part,  I  said  I  would  go  on  deck  when  called. 
I  was  as  anxious  as  any  of  them  to  have  liberty 
ashore,  but  had  no  particular  desire  to  be  put  in  the 
fort. 

"  Then,"  cried  several  voices,  "  you  are  a  coward! 
If  you  had  any  spirit,  you'd  join  us ;  but  you're  afraid 
of  the  captain." 

I  observed,  in  reply,  that  none  of  them  could  justly 


310  MUTINOUS. 

accuse  me  of  cowardice.  I  had  never  flinched  from 
real  danger ;  and  I  considered  it  no  proof  of  courage 
to  commit  an  act  of  folly,  which  would  only  bring 
additional  trouble  upon  my  own  head. 

"  Then  you'll  sleep  on  deck  to-night !  We  won't 
have  you  here,  by  G — d !"  cried  Manuel,  the  bully 
of  the  Portuguese.  Juan,  Jose,  Frank,  and  some  of 
the  others,  joined  in  threatening  to  put  me  on  deck. 
I  made  no  answer,  but  lay  still,  expecting  an  assault. 
Charley  and  M'F ,  I  believed,  would  not  coun 
tenance  such  an  outrage ;  yet  I  knew  that,  when 
excited,  the  Portuguese  would  stop  at  nothing,  how 
ever  brutal  or  cowardly,  to  gratify  their  animosity ; 
and,  even  if  the  two  Americans  joined  me,  we  could 
make  but  a  feeble  resistance  against  eight  overgrown 
ruffians,  all  armed  with  knives. 

After  the  Portuguese  had  chattered  a  while  in 
their  own  language,  they  again  addressed  me : 

"  You  had  better  go  on  deck.  If  you  don't,  look 
out  to-night !" 

To  this  I  replied,  that  I  knew  them  too  well  to  be 
intimidated  by  their  threats. 

"  Then,  if  you  sleep  in  the  forecastle,  you  sha'n't 
go  on  deck  in  the  morning.  You  can  have  your 
choice :  go  on  deck  now,  or  stay  below  in  the  morn- 


ing." 


My  answer  was,  "  I  shall  do  neither.  I  have  as 
much  right  to  sleep  in  the  forecastle  as  you  have. 
Your  refusing  to  do  duty  is  a  matter  that  concerns 
yourselves.  I  shall  not  be  driven  into  trouble  by 
any  of  you." 


THREATS  FROM  THE  PORTUGUESE.      31] 

These  cowardly  dogs,  who  could  be  so  bold  on 
an  occasion  like  this,  when  they  only  had  but  one  to 
contend  against,  one  whom  they  had  every  reason  to 
suppose  would  not  fight — for  I  had  never  taken  any 
notice  of  their  insults — now  began  to  make  demon 
strations  of  an  assault.  All  my  past  hatred  for  them 
seemed  to  be  centered  in  a  single  moment.  I  felt  as 
if  suddenly  inspired  with  supernatural  strength.  My 
blood  boiled  with  indignation  and  contempt.  To 
use  a  western  phrase,  I  was,  for  the  first  time  in  my 
life,  really  wolfish.  In  the  bitterness  of  intense  and 
loathing  hatred  I  cursed  them,  taunted  them,  dared 
them  to  lay  a  hand  on  me.  Now,  let  it  not  be  sup 
posed  that  I  intend  this  for  bravado ;  I  knew  my  men. 
I  knew  that  nothing  but  a  bold  front  could  save  me 
the  disgrace  of  being  severely  thrashed.  Besides,  I 
despised  them  with  the  most  unfeigned  cordiality, 
and  it  relieved  me  to  let  off  a  little  of  my  exuberant 
valor.  The  effect  was  magical.  Not  one  of  them 

touched  me !  Charley  and  M'F lay  in  their 

bunks  chuckling  over  the  fun ;  nor  did  their  mirth 
surprise  me,  for  the  whole  scene  had  something  su 
premely  ludicrous  in  it.  As  I  turned  over  to  go  to 
sleep,  after  this  bloodless  fracas,  I  overheard  Manuel 
say  "he  had  a  sharp  knife,  and  I'd  feel  it  before  I 
knew  where  I  was." 

About  midnight  I  was  awakened  by  low  voices  in 
conversation.  To  tell  the  truth,  I  had  not  slept  very 
soundly.  There  was  something,  in  spite  of  all  the 
bravado  of  the  Portuguese,  by  no  means  pleasant  in 


312  FOUND    OUT. 

my  situation.  By  listening  attentively,  I  found  that 
Hankley  and  Antoine,  the  two  Portuguese  boat- 
steerers,  were  below  discussing  the  topics  of  discon 
tent  A  smattering  of  their  language  enabled  me  to 
make  out  the  substance  of  their  conversation.  It  ap 
peared  that  they  apprehended  Enos  and  George 
would  be  flogged  for  attempting  to  desert.  They 
were  resolved  the  punishment  should  not  take  place ; 
and  the  doubtful  point  seemed  to  be,  whether,  if  all 
the  Portuguese  united  in  a  revolt  to  prevent  the  pun 
ishment,  Charley,  M'F ,  and  myself  would  join 

them.  I  heard  my  name  mentioned  very  often,  ac 
companied  by  epithets  of  no  flattering  character; 
and,  indeed,  felt  rather  uneasy  till  the  boat-steerers 
went  on  deck. 

At  daylight  next  morning  the  watch  came  to  the 
scuttle  as  usual,  and  called  all  hands.  I  had  not  un 
dressed,  so  that  before  any  attempt  could  be  made  to 
keep  me  below,  I  was  on  deck.  In  the  course  often 
or  fifteen  minutes  the  mate  came  forward,  and  asked 
the  reason  of  the  delay.  Finding  how  matters  stood, 
he  went  aft,  with  an  ill-concealed  chuckle,  to  convey 
the  information  to  the  captain. 

No  notice  was  taken  of  the  revolt  till  after  break 
fast,  when  all  hands  were  called  aft.  The  captain 
appeared  to  take  matters  pretty  coolly,  considering 
the  indignity  offered  to  his  authority.  Had  this  af 
fair  happened  at  sea,  he  would  have  pursued  a  dif 
ferent  course.  There  was  a  consul  ashore,  how 
ever,  and  he  was  evidently  anxious  to  avoid  having 


GAME    BLOCKED.  313 

any  investigation  of  the  ship's  economy  before  that 
officer. 

"  Now,"  said  the  captain,  very  deliberately,  thrust 
ing  his  hands  in  his  pockets,  and  taking  his  stand 
by  the  main-mast,  "you  that  belong  to  that  'ere 
crowd,  stay  where  you  are  ;  and  you  that  don't,  step 
over  to  leeward." 

No  one  stepped  over  to  leeward  but  myself. 

"  Well,"  continued  the  captain,  fixing  his  cold, 
dead  eyes  on  the  Portuguese,  "  what's  the  matter  ? 
Why  don't  you  go  to  work  ?" 

There  was  no  answer,  till  Charley  stepped  for 
ward  and  said,  "  We  want  liberty  ashore,  sir." 

" You  shan't  have  it /'"  was  the  reply. 

"  Then,  sir,  we  want  to  put  to  sea,  and  get  over 
the  voyage  as  soon  as  we  can.  We  didn't  ship  to 
lay  up  in  port  without  liberty." 

"  I'll  put  to  sea  whenever  I  think  proper,"  said 
the  captain.  "  Will  that  suit  you  1  What  have  you 
to  say,  M'F— —  T 

"  I  want  to  go  ashore,  sir,  or  go  to  sea." 

"  You  sha'n't  go  ashore,  nor  to  sea  till  it  suits  my 
convenience.  What  next  T 

"  We'll  not  work,  then,  that's  all." 

"  Go  forward,  all  of  you.  I'll  soon  find  a  way  to 
make  you  work.  Cook,  see  that  those  men  have 
nothing  to  eat  till  I  give  you  orders  to  the  contrary ! 
I'll  starve  this  obstinacy  out  of  you." 

The  mutineers  then  went  forward,  and  took  up 
their  quarters  for  the  day  in  the  forecastle.  As  it 

RR 


314  REWARD    OF    VIRTUE. 

happened,  the  bread-kid  had  been  replenished  that 
morning,  so  that  they  suffered  no  inconvenience 
from  starvation  that  day.  It  was  perfectly  apparent 
that,  unless  they  resorted  to  forcible  measures  to  pro 
cure  a  supply  of  provisions,  they  would  soon  be 
compelled  to  yield.  Finding  the  captain  resolute  in 
his  determination  to  give  them  nothing  to  eat  till 
they  went  to  work,  the  Portuguese  next  day  came 

into  measures.     Charley  and  M'F ,  who  were 

left  in  a  small  minority,  apparently  yielded;  but  it 
was  with  the  mutual  understanding  that  they  would 
desert  on  the  first  favorable  opportunity,  and,  if  no 
such  opportunity  offered,  they  would  swim  ashore 
the  night  previous  to  the  sailing  of  the  vessel.  Thus 
ended  the  revolt.  To  my  great  surprise,  I  learned, 
when  it  was  all  over,  that  the  captain  suspected  me 
of  being  the  originator  of  all  the  mischief,  and  re 
garded  the  course  I  had  taken  as  a  mere  ruse  to 
avoid  punishment ! 

My  situation  was  now  more  unpleasant  than  ever. 
On  the  one  hand,  reproached  and  taunted  by  the 
crew  for  refusing  to  join  them  in  their  revolt,  and, 
on  the  other,  suspected  by  the  captain  as  the  real 
instigator  of  all  the  mischief,  I  had  no  peace  either 
on  deck  or  below.  The  prospect  of  being  compel 
led  to  spend  a  year  or  fifteen  months  longer  on 
board  the  barque,  with  all  the  horrors  of  the  past, 
increased  tenfold,  drove  me  to  the  verge  of  despair. 
I  thought  of  the  parting  words  of  the  man  who  had 
made  his  escape  from  the  steam-boat  at  Newport, 


RESOLUTION  TO  DO SOMETHING.      315 

Rhode  Island  ;  I  reflected  with  many  bitter  thoughts 
upon  my  indiscretion  in  not  following  his  advice  ;  I 
called  to  mind  the  unhappy  fate  of  my  friend,  left 
sick  and  destitute  in  a  foreign  land  ;  and,  so  help 
me  God !  sooner  than  drag  out  another  such  year 
of  misery,  I  would  gladly  have  exchanged  my  place 
with  that  of  the  most  abject  slave  in  Mississippi ; 
nay,  so  desperate  did  my  prospect  seem,  that,  had 
the  offer  been  made  me  to  serve  a  year  in  one  of 
the  state  penitentiaries,  I  believe,  from  the  bottom  of 
my  heart,  I  would  have  accepted  it  in  preference  to 
the  life  I  now  led. 

In  a  state  of  mind  bordering  on  madness,  I  resolv 
ed  to  take  a  bold  step,  which,  if  successful,  might 
procure  me  my  release,  but,  if  not,  might  be  the 
means  of  my  disgrace  during  the  remainder  of  the 
voyage.  I  had  no  confidence  in  the  captain's  hu 
manity.  I  knew  very  well,  if  I  attempted  to  desert 
and  did  not  succeed,  I  should  be  seized  up  and 
flogged  like  a  dumb  brute.  The  degradation  of  such 
a  mode  of  punishment  I  had  not  yet  experienced, 
and  I  was  anxious  to  avoid  it,  if  possible  ;  for  it  was 
my  firm  determination,  from  the  moment  I  first  wit 
nessed  it,  to  take  a  more  summary  method  of  aveng 
ing  the  wrong,  should  it  ever  be  inflicted  upon  me, 
than  that  of  the  law.  My  intention  was  first  to 
make  an  appeal  to  the  United  States  consul,  lay  the 
facts  before  him,  and,  if  unsuccessful,  to  desert  and 
suffer  the  consequences.  I  knew  the  fact  of  my  ap 
pearing  anxious  to  leave  the  vessel  would  be  a  suffi- 


316  STRONG    APPEAL    TO    THE    CONSUL. 

cient  cause,  in  the  eyes  of  the  captain,  to  treat  me 
with  increased  barbarity  in  case  I  remained  on 
board  ;  so  that  if  I  failed,  I  might  as  well  desert,  and 
run  the  risk  of  being  retaken  and  flogged.  There 

were  but  two  Americans  left,  M'F and  Clifford. 

I  had  no  reason  to  rejoice  in  the  prospect  of  having, 
in  addition  to  eight  Portuguese,  three  or  four  beast 
ly  negroes  to  share  the  forecastle  with  us. 

I  remained  on  deck  till  a  late  hour,  reflecting  upon 
my  condition.  About  midnight,  finding  all  the  watch 
asleep,  I  stole  softly  down  into  the  forecastle,  and,  by 
the  flickering  rays  of  the  lamp,  commenced  my  work. 
Seated  on  a  soap-keg,  I  made  use  of  one  of  the  chests 
as  a  desk,  and  wrote  a  long  letter  to  the  American 
consul,  setting  forth  the  particulars  of  my  unpleasant 
situation,  and  the  hardships  which  I  had  endured, 
together  with  the  dreadful  alternative  before  me,  of 
remaining  on  board  the  vessel  another  year,  if  he 
should  not  exercise  his  influence  to  procure  my  dis 
charge.  I  appealed  to  his  humanity — his  sense  of 
justice  as  an  officer  of  the  American  government.  I 
called  upon  him,  with  all  the  eloquence  I  was  mas 
ter  of,  to  save  me  from  the  horrors  of  such  a  life.  It 
occurred  to  me  that  the  letter  might  fall  into  the 
hands  of  the  captain,  or  some  of  his  officers,  and,  to 
guard  against  any  unpleasant  consequences  that 
might  arise  from  such  miscarriage,  I  made  no  com 
plaint  against  them ;  though  I  could  have  said  a  good 
deal  that  would  have  placed  them  in  no  enviable 
light.  This  letter  I  sealed,  and,  putting  it  under  my 


ANXIETY.  317 

pillow,  turned  in  to  dream  of  home  and  happier 
times. 

Next  morning,  perceiving  that  M'F was  about 

to  go  ashore  in  the  mate's  boat  for  wood,  I  slipped 
the  letter  into  his  pocket,  and  begged  him,  if  an  op 
portunity  should  occur,  to  hand  it  with  due  secrecy 
to  the  consul.  Mack  was  the  very  man  whom  I 
would  have  chosen,  had  I  any  choice  in  the  matter, 
for  this  delicate  commission.  Honest  and  kind- 
hearted,  he  had  my  most  implicit  confidence.  I  felt 
quite  sure  he  would  spare  no  exertion  to  do  me  a 
service. 

How  can  I  depict  the  tortures  of  suspense  that  I 
suffered  that  day  1  My  mind  was  racked  with  alter 
nate  hopes  and  doubts.  Would  the  consul  receive 
my  letter  1  What  would  be  its  effect  1  Would  he 
demand  my  instant  discharge,  or  pay  no  attention 
whatever  to  my  appeal  ?  These  were  but  a  few  of 
the  conflicting  questions  upon  which  my  mind  dwelt 
during  the  absence  of  my  shipmate.  Hour  after 
hour  I  watched  the  boat  with  eager  eyes  and  a  throb 
bing  heart.  At  length  I  saw  the  crew  get  in  and 
push  off.  I  felt  faint  with  expectation.  After  a 
tedious  pull  they  hauled  up  alongside.  Mack's  face 
beamed  with  good  nature.  I  read  in  its  expression 
the  success  of  my  mission.  He  had  delivered  the 
letter.  The  consul  had  read  it,  but  made  no  com 
ment  upon  its  contents,  except  that  he  would  be  glad 
to  see  me  the  first  time  I  went  ashore. 

The  question  then  was,  would  I  have  an  oppor- 


318  THE    CONSUL. 

tunity  of  going  ashore  before  the  vessel  weighed  an 
chor  1  All  that  day  and  part  of  the  next  I  remained 
in  the  same  miserable  state  of  suspense.  At  length 
the  mate  sang  out,  "  Man  the  waist-boat !"  Every 
one  was  anxious  to  get  ashore,  and  all  hands  rushed 
for  the  davit-tackles.  I  did  not  even  wait  till  the 
boat  was  lowered,  but,  with  one  spring  over  the  bul 
warks,  made  good  my  place.  It  fortunately  happen 
ed  that  the  key  of  the  wood-yard  was  up  at  the  con 
sul's.  While  the  mate  was  thinking  how  he  would 
get  it,  I  volunteered  my  services  to  run  for  it ;  and 
the  answer  had  scarcely  escaped  his  lips,  when  I  was 
off. 

The  consul  chanced  to  be  standing  at  the  door.  I 
approached  him  with  awe  and  trembling ;  for  he  it 
was  who  was  to  decide  my  fate.  Having  first  de 
livered  my  message,  and  procured  the  key  of  the 
wood-yard,  I  hesitated  whether  to  address  him,  or 
leave  the  matter  entirely  to  himself.  While  con 
sidering  what  course  I  should  pursue,  he  called  me, 
and  said, 

"  Are  you  the  young  man  who  sent  me  this  let 
ter  r 

"  Yes,  sir,"  said  I. 

"  Well,  when  will  you  be  ashore  again  ?" 

"  1  can't  say,  sir ;  the  captain  allows  us  no  more 
liberty." 

"  Call  upon  me  to-morrow,  and  I'll  talk  this  mat 
ter  over  with  you ;  I  shall  see  the  captain  about  giv 
ing  you  permission." 


TRIFLES    IN    THE    WAY.  319 

Elated  with  the  hope  of  a  speedy  release,  I  hur 
ried  down  to  the  wood-yard,  and  went  to  work  with 
a  zeal  that  I  had  not  felt  for  many  months 

Permission  was  given  me  to  go  ashore  next  day 
with  one  of  the  boat-steerers,  who,  as  good  fortune 
would  have  it,  was  no  other  than  my  worthy  friend 
Tabor.  I  communicated  to  him  the  object  of  my 
mission.  He  said  he  was  sorry  to  think  of  parting 
with  me;  but,  for  my  own  good,  wished  me  sue* 
cess.  I  lost  no  time  in  calling  upon  the  consul  after 
leaving  the  kind-hearted  boat-steerer.  On  my  ar 
rival  at  the  consular  residence,  I  was  shown  up  stairs, 
where  Mr.  W attended  to  private  matters. 

"I  see,"  said  he,  "you  are  not  pleased  with  the 
whaling  business.  You  find  it,  no  doubt,  different 
from  what  you  expected.  It  is  a  severe  lesson  to 
you,  and  I  hope  you  will  profit  by  it.  I  am  willing 
to  aid  you  so  far  as  I  have  the  power,  but  have  no 
authority  to  demand  your  discharge  from  the  vessel. 
If  you  can  procure  a  hand  to  take  your  place,  it  is 
probable  the  captain  will  consent  to  an  exchange. 
In  that  way  you  may  succeed,  but  I  know  of  no 
other." 

"  That,  I  fear,  can  not  be  done,"  said  I ;  "  the  cap 
tain  would  keep  me,  if  for  no  other  reason  than  be 
cause  I  wish  to  procure  my  discharge ;  besides,  I  owe 
him  thirty  dollars." 

"  I  am  sorry  for  it ;  the  whole  matter  rests  with 
him." 

"  Then,  sir,  I  shall  be  compelled  to  desert.  I  can 
not  remain  on  board  the  vessel  another  year." 


320  CONSUL'S  GENEROSITY. 

"  That  would  be  unwise.  We  have  no  other  al 
ternative  here  than  to  put  deserters  in  the  fort,  and 
there  you  would  soon  take  the  fever." 

"  Well,  death  is  preferable  to  my  present  condi 
tion." 

"  If  you  think  it  would  be  of  any  avail,"  replied  the 
consul,  "  you  may  tell  the  captain  that  I  will  pay 
your  bill ;  and,  to  show  you  that  I  am  willing  to  do 
all  I  can  for  you,  I  give  you  liberty  to  offer  ten,  fif 
teen,  or  twenty  dollars  to  any  of  Captain  F 's 

crew  who  will  take  your  place." 

This  was  certainly  as  much  as  I  could  have  ex 
pected  from  any  American.  Thanking  the  consul 

for  his  kindness,  I  set  out  for  Captain  F 's  hut, 

and  there  made  the  proposition  to  those  of  the  Bo 
gota's  crew  who  were  not  prostrated  with  the  fever. 
It  was  like  offering  fire  to  a  burned  man.  Not  one 
of  them  would  listen  to  my  proposition.  They  had 
experienced  too  many  of  the  hardships  of  a  whaling 
voyage  within  a  month  or  two  past  to  be  tempted  by 
any  pecuniary  inducements. 

Sadly  disappointed,  I  went  off  in  search  of  a  sub 
stitute  among  the  natives.  The  sun  was  intensely 
hot,  and  the  streets  were  like  long,  dirty  ovens.  Af 
ter  a  harassing  ramble  of  two  hours  from  hut  to  hut 
— seldom  meeting  any  one  who  could  speak  Eng 
lish — I  fell  in  with  a  couple  of  young  blacks,  who 
had  been  to  sea  before,  and  could  speak  English 
with  tolerable  fluency.  They  both  seemed  anxious 
to  ship,  and  agreed  to  take  my  place  if  I  could  make 
an  arrangement  of  that  kind  with  the  captain. 


SEARCH    FOR    A    SUBSTITUTE.  321 

I  returned  to  the  consul's,  and  gave  him  the  result 
of  my  search.  The  only  difficulty,  he  said,  in  tak 
ing  natives  of  the  island,  would  be  the  consequences 
it  might  lead  to  in  case  the  vessel  should  fall  in  with 
a  man-of-war.  So  many  blacks  on  board  would  ex 
cite  the  suspicion  that  she  was  a  slaver,  and  much 
embarrassment  might  result  from  it.  If  the  captain 
was  willing  to  take  one  of  them,  however,  he  thought 
the  matter  could  be  arranged. 

Without  any  delay,  I  proceeded  down  to  the 
beach,  and,  finding  the  boat  ready  to  start,  went  on 
board.  It  was  nearly  sundown.  The  work  of  the 
day  was  over,  and  I  found  the  crew  lounging  about 
the  forecastle,  smoking  and  chatting  as  usual.  Learn 
ing  from  Clifford  that  the  captain  had  given  orders 
to  the  mate  to  weigh  anchor  early  in  the  morning, 
for  the  purpose  of  dropping  down  opposite  the 
imaum's  palace  to  procure  a  supply  of  water  from 
the  Motoney,  preparatory  to  making  immediate  sail 
on  another  cruise,  I  became  alarmed  about  my 
prospect  of  effecting  the  exchange.  Not  an  hour 
was  to  be  lost.  As  yet  I  had  not  broached  the  sub 
ject  to  the  captain. 

Plucking  up  all  my  courage,  I  walked  aft  to  the 
larboard  boat,  in  which  he  was  sitting,  and,  taking 
off  my  hat,  respectfully  asked  his  attention  for  a  few 
moments. 

"  Well,  what  do  you  want  V9  said  he,  staring  at 
me  as  if  he  had  never  seen  me  before.  "  What's  the 
matter  now  ?" 

Ss 


322  SEARCH    FOR    A    SUBSTITUTE. 

"  I  wish,  sir,"  said  I,  striving  hard  to  suppress  my 
agitation,  "  to  procure  somebody  in  my  place.  This 
business  does  not  suit  me ;  I  should  like  to  have  my 
discharge." 

"  What !  Discharge,  hey  1  Why,  I  thought  you 
were  very  well  satisfied.  I  haven't  heard  you  say 
you  wanted  to  leave  the  vessel  till  now  !"  replied  the 
captain,  with  unfeigned  astonishment. 

"  Because  I  thought  it  would  be  useless.  Now, 
sir,  if  I  procure  a  hand  in  my  place,  will  you  let  me 
go  ?  I  have  no  peace  with  those  Portuguese,  and 
would  rather  take  my  chance  of  dying  of  the  fever 
than  remain  on  board." 

"  Oh  ho  !  that's  it,  hey  1  If  that's  all,  you  may 
rest  easy.  I  intend  putting  you,  and  Clifford,  and 
M'F in  the  aft-hold  as  soon  as  we  get  to  sea." 

This  was  a  "  stumper."  I  could  only  reply  that, 
under  any  circumstances,  I  would  prefer  having  my 
discharge,  adding,  that  the  consul  had  promised  to 
pay  my  bill,  and  I  would  engage  to  furnish  a  first- 
rate  hand  in  my  place.  I  was  then  dismissed,  with 
the  remark  that  "he'd  s€e  about  it." 

At  five  o'clock  next  morning  we  weighed  anchor 

O  O 

and  dropped  down  to  the  Motoney.  Immediately 
after  breakfast,  while  the  men  were  battening  the 
casks  for  a  raft,  I  renewed  my  application.  The 
captain  was  not  at  all  pleased  at  the  dissatisfaction 
manifested  lately  by  his  crew.  He  thought  he  had 
treated  us  well,  and  wanted  to  know  the  reason  we 
were  all  so  anxious  to  leave  the  ship.  It  would  tell 


DARK  SUCCESS. PLEASANTRY  OF  THE  CAPTAIN.    323 

badly  for  him  with  the  owners,  if  he  went  home 
with  but  two  or  three  of  his  original  crew.  This 
was  the  first  time  he  ever  condescended  to  argue  the 
point,  and  I  could  not  but  feel  surprised  at  his  won 
derful  benevolence.  However,  a  little  reflection  en 
abled  me  to  see  through  it.  He  thought  it  highly 
probable  I  would  desert,  and  preferred  having  a  man 
in  my  place,  while,  at  the  same  time,  he  would  leave 
a  good  impression.  After  some  quibbling  about  hav 
ing  so  many  negroes  on  board,  he  agreed  to  take 
one  of  the  natives  to  whom  I  had  alluded.  No  op 
portunity  to  go  ashore  occurred  till  in  the  afternoon, 
when  the  consul's  boat  carne  alongside  with  a  clerk, 
who  had  business  with  the  captain.  I  was  permit 
ted  to  accompany  him  back  to  the  town.  In  about 
an  hour  the  captain  came  ashore  for  his  papers,  hav 
ing  concluded  to  put  to  sea  before  officers  and  all 
left  the  vessel.  When  I  produced  my  substitute, 
who  was  a  fine,  stout  young  negro,  the  captain, 
without  assigning  any  reason,  peremptorily  refused 
to  take  him,  and  ordered  me  on  board  again.  I  had 
no  alternative  but  to  obey.  The  barque  was  all 
ready  for  sea  next  morning,  and  I  felt  sure,  if  I  went 
on  board  again,  I  should  lose  the  last  opportunity  of 
making  my  escape,  having  no  doubt  strict  watches 
would  be  set  that  night.  On  my  way  down  to  the 

boat,  I  met  one  of  Captain  F 's  men,  to  whom  I 

had  proposed  an  exchange  on  a  previous  occasion. 
I  again  broached  the  subject,  and,  knowing  him  to 
be  a  reckless  fellow,  to  whom  whaling  was  as  agree- 


324  ANOTHER    SUBSTITUTE. 

able  as  any  other  pursuit,  I  had  no  qualms  of  con 
science  in  offering  him  every  inducement.  He  was 
a  rough,  stout-built  quadroon  from  South  Carolina, 
and  had  been  drifting  about  the  world  for  eight  or 
ten  years  past.  With  an  iron  constitution  and  a 
happy  disposition,  he  never  troubled  himself  with 
any  of  the  niceties  of  feeling  or  thought,  and  I  sin 
cerely  believed  he  was  much  better  adapted  for  the 
situation  than  I  was.  I  offered  him  ten  dollars  in 
cash,  and  all  my  clothes,  together  with  my  sea-chest, 
and  whatever  else  I  had  on  board,  if  he  would  take 
my  place.  Such  an  offer  was  hard  to  resist.  He 
said  he  would  not  agree  to  take  my  place,  but  would 
ship  as  boat-steerer,  in  which  capacity  he  had  serv 
ed  on  board  the  Bogota,  at  the  fiftieth  lay,  provided 
I  would  give  him  the  ten  dollars  and  the  clothes. 
It  made  no  difference  to  me,  of  course,  in  what  ca 
pacity  he  shipped,  if  I  could  procure  my  discharge 
by  an  exchange.  I  had  but  little  time  to  talk,  how 
ever,  as  the  boat  w^as  waiting ;  and,  telling  him  I 
would  consult  the  captain,  and  that  he  must  be  down 
about  the  beach  before  dark,  pushed  off  once  more 
for  the  hated  barque. 

It  was  decided  that  we  were  to  weigh  anchor 
and  put  to  sea  at  daylight  next  morning.  I  had  but 
two  or  three  hours  to  spare ;  the  captain  might  not 
come  on  board  till  dark,  and  then  it  would  be  too 
late  to  make  the  arrangement  which  I  so  ardently 
desired.  I  did  not  know,  even,  whether  he  would 
take  my  substitute,  having  already,  without  cause, 
refused  the  man  whom  he  had  promised  to  take. 


FINAL    ARRANGEMENT.  325 

In  the  most  racking  state  of  suspense  I  awaited 
the  arrival  of  his  boat.  I  must  have  looked  like  a 
madman,  for  the  crew  made  comments  upon  my  un 
natural  wildness.  I  was,  indeed,  somewhat  bereft 
of  my  senses,  and  had  difficulty  in  controlling  my 
feelings.  A  long,  weary  hour  of  torture  elapsed  be 
fore  the  captain  made  his  appearance.  With  min 
gled  feelings  of  hope  and  despair  I  approached  him, 
and  told  him  the  particulars  of  my  interview  with 
the  quadroon.  It  fortunately  happened  that  this 
was  a  man  to  whom  the  captain  had  himself  applied 
some  days  previously,  and  whose  services  he  was 
most  anxious  to  secure.  The  only  difficulty  was 
about  the  lay.  However,  sooner  than  not  have  him, 
he  consented  to  go  ashore  with  me  and  talk  to  the 
man,  and  if  they  could  agree  upon  the  terms,  he 
would  give  me  my  discharge. 

1  need  hardly  say  I  sprang  into  the  boat  half  fran 
tic  with  delight.  So  overpowered,  indeed,  did  I 
feel  with  joy  at  the  prospect  of  my  release,  uncertain 
as  it  was,  that  I  could  scarcely  refrain  from  telling 
the  captain  I  considered  him  a  pretty  clever  fellow, 
after  all. 

To  make  a  long  story  short,  the  matter  was  ar 
ranged  to  my  entire  satisfaction,  and  we  went  up  to 
the  consul's  to  sign  the  papers  and  settle  accounts. 
I  did  not  feel  sure  of  my  release  till  I  held  the  writ 
ten  discharge  in  my  own  hand ;  then,  for  the  first 
time  in  my  life,  I  felt  what  it  really  was  to  be  FREE  ! 
I  am  sure  I  must  have  made  myself  very  ridiculous. 


326  LEAVE-TAKING.- 

I  hardly  know  what  I  said  or  did,  for  I  was  delirious 
with  joy.  In  the  phrensy  of  my  delight  I  shook 
hands  with  the  captain,  and  wished  him  a  pleasant 
and  prosperous  voyage ;  well  knowing,  even  then, 
that  for  half  a  dollar  he  would  have  sold  my  liberty 
for  life  had  it  been  in  his  power. 

Once  more  I  returned  to  the  vessel  to  bid  good- 
by  to  my  old  comrades.     The  cooper,  Tabor,  the 

mate,  Charley,  and  M'F shook  me  cordially  by 

the  hand,  and  wished  me  all  success  and  happiness. 
I  really  felt  sorry  at  parting  from  friends  to  whom  I 
had  become  so  warmly  attached,  more  particularly 
Tabor  and  the  poor  Yankee  boy,  for  both  of  whom 
I  entertained  the  strongest  regard.  Poor  Mack !  1 
had  been  his  warmest  friend,  and  the  tears  stood  in 
his  eyes  as  he  bid  me  good-by.  I  would  have  given 
the  savings  of  ten  years  to  come  to  have  had  him 
share  my  good  fortune.  Nor  was  it  without  emo 
tion  that  I  parted  with  the  Portuguese.  We  had 
lived  many  months  together;  we  had  endured  the 
same  hardships,  faced  the  same  dangers,  suffered  to 
gether,  and  stood  night-watches  together;  and,  al 
though  I  did  not  regret  that  the  tie  of  our  fellowship 
was  broken,  I  sincerely  wished  them  well,  and  was 
deeply  impressed  with  the  thought  that,  as  our  paths 
through  life  lay  in  different  directions,  those  faces  so 
familiar  to  me,  I  should,  in  all  likelihood,  never  see 
again.  From  the  bottom  of  my  heart  I  forgave  them 
all  I  ever  had  against  them.  They  had  enjoyed  but 
few  of  the  blessings  of  social  life  ;  their  career  from 


THE  CHANGE !  327 

childhood  had  been  one  of  labor  and  hardship.  I 
saw  more  in  them  to  pity  than  to  blame,  and  I  felt 
sorry  for  every  harsh  word  I  had  spoken  to  them 
during  our  unhappy  voyage. 

The  transition  from  the  filthy  forecastle  of  a  whal 
er  to  a  large  and  commodious  stone  house,  furnished 
in  European  style,  and  to  the  society  of  a  little  circle 
of  educated  New  Englanders,  was  so  unexpected 
and  so  difficult  to  realize,  that  for  many  days  I  could 
hardly  avoid  thinking  it  a  delightful  dream.  How 
my  blood  thrilled  through  my  veins  and  how  my 
heart  bounded  with  joy,  when  I  saw  around  me  ob 
jects  that  brought  to  mind  home,  friends,  civilization, 
and  all  the  blessings  and  comforts  of  social  life ! 
Above  all,  how  entrancing,  how  indescribably  de 
lightful,  was  my  long-wished-for  FREEDOM  !  how 
happy  the  thought  that  I  was  no  longer  subject  to 
the  whims  and  caprices  of  a  tyrant ! 

So  great  was  my  horror  of  the  life  I  had  led  dur 
ing  the  past  year,  that  in  rny  sleep,  for  weeks  after 
my  release,  I  struggled  with  imaginary  foes,  whom 
my  morbid  fancy  pictured  in  the  act  of  dragging  me 
on  board  again ;  and  often,  when  I  awoke  and 
looked  around  me,  I  wondered  what  had  become  of 
the  rusty  forecastle  lamp  with  its  dim,  flickering  rays. 
Where  were  the  haggard  faces  of  the  sick,  the 
groans,  the  curses,  the  gurgling  of  the  water,  the 
roar  of  the  gale,  the  hoarse  voices  calling  the  watch ! 

I  learned  from  one  of  the  natives  who  was  on 
board  the  Styx  when  she  weighed  anchor,  that,  early 


328  ZANZIBAR. 

on  the  night  previous  to  her  departure,  my  unfortu 
nate  comrades,  Charley  and  M'F ,  had  attempt 
ed  to  escape  by  swimming  ashore.  A  boat  was 
lowered  after  them  before  they  succeeded  in  reach 
ing  the  beach,  and  they  were  taken  on  board  and 
put  in  irons,  to  be  flogged  as  soon  as  the  vessel  got 
to  sea.  Let.  it  be  borne  in  mind  that  these  were 
AMERICAN  CITIZENS — that  they  had  committed  no 
crime  in  following  the  dictates  of  nature  ! 

o 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

Description  of  Zanzibar. — Imaum's  Harem. — Castle  Antiquities. — 
Inhabitants  of  N'Googa. — Sowhelian  Customs. — Poetry. — Imaum's 
Palace. — Commercial  Advantages  of  Zanzibar. — Treaties. — Aham- 
et  Bin  Hamees. — Rajab. — Exaggerations  of  Travelers. — Despotic 
Government. — Possessions  of  Syed  Syed  Bin  Soultan. — Presents 
to  his  Highness. — Fate  of  the  American  Pleasure-boat. 

ZANZIBAR,  the  present  seat  of  government  of  Syed 
Syed  Bin  Soultan,  imaum  of  Muscat,  is  situated  in 
the  Indian  Ocean,  within  four  leagues  of  the  eastern 
coast  of  Africa,  between  the  latitude  of  5°  and  7° 
south,  and  longitude  39°  and  41°  east.  It  is  forty- 
five  miles  in  length,  and  varies  from  fifteen  to  twen 
ty  miles  in  breadth. 

N'Googa,  the  town  of  Zanzibar,  is  situated  nearly 
midway  between  the  northern  and  southern  points 
of  the  island,  in  latitude  6°  10'  south,  and  longitude 
39°  41'  east.  From  the  bay  it  has  quite  a  flourish- 


ZANZIBAR.  329 

ing  appearance.  Many  of  the  buildings  along  the 
beach  are  large  stone  edifices,  which  are  white 
washed,  and  present  a  very  pleasing  appearance  to 
the  eye.  The  imaum's  harem,  or  town  residence, 
occupies  a  prominent  position  near  the  water's  edge, 
and  is  a  regular,  though  not  a  handsome  building,  of 
a  larger  size  than  any  other  fronting  the  bay.  Be 
fore  the  door  is  a  tall  staff,  bearing  the  blood-red  flag 
of  Arabia.  The  custom-house,  now  rented  from  the 
imaum  by  a  Banyan  merchant,  Jeram  Bin  Seeva,  at 
the  sum  of  $150,000  a  year  (from  which  a  rough 
estimate  of  the  trade  may  be  formed),  is  a  low  bam 
boo  hut,  thatched  with  palmetto  leaves,  and  like  any 
thing  but  a  custom-house,  according  to  our  notions 
of  the  importance  of  such  an  edifice.  Perhaps  the 
most  interesting  specimen  of  architecture  in  the  place 
is  the  castle  and  its  fortifications.  It  is  supposed  by 
the  English  consul,  Captain  Hamilton,  a  very  intel 
ligent  gentleman  well  versed  in  these  matters,  that 
this  castle  was  erected  by  the  Portuguese  soon  after 
they  got  possession  of  the  island ;  and  from  a  com 
parison  of  the  style  of  architecture  with  that  of  the 
Brazilians  and  Western  Islanders,  I  am  strongly  in 
clined  to  the  same  opinion.  It  is  a  large,  massive 
structure,  about  three  hundred  feet  long  and  a  hun 
dred  and  fifty  wide,  with  a  tower  at  each  corner,  and 
a  spacious  terrace  in  front  of  it,  the  outer  part  of 
which  is  fortified  by  a  battery,  or  row  of  heavy  stone 
abutments  for  the  protection  of  the  soldiers  and  the 
gunnery.  It  is  evident,  even  to  an  inexperienced 

T  T 


330  CURIOUS  OLD  CANNONS. 

observer,  that  the  castle  and  its  fortifications,  well 
provided  as  they  are  with  soldiers  and  guns,  would 
stand  but  a  slender  chance  before  a  broadside  from 
an  English  or  American  frigate.  At  this  time  the 
entire  building  is  in  a  ruinous  condition,  and  there  is 
nothing  about  it  to  show  that  it  was  ever  a  good 
specimen  of  architectural  skill.  A  volume  might  be 
written  on  the  eventful  history  of  the  old  cannons 
lying  in  front  of  the  castle ;  and  yet  I  am  not  aware 
that  they  have  ever  been  mentioned  by  travelers 
who  have  visited  Zanzibar.  There  is  a  rare  and 
valuable  work  in  possession  of  the  English  consul, 
entitled,  "  Curious  and  Entertaining  Voyages,  un 
dertaken  either  for  Discovery,  Conquest,  or  the  Ben 
efit  of  Trade,  by  Portuguese  Navigators,  from  the 
earliest  Voyages  under  the  Auspices  of  Prince  Henry 
of  Portugal,  down  to  the  seventeenth  Century."  In 
this  work  there  is  an  account  given  of  the  voyages 
and  discoveries  of  Albuquerque,  and  his  conquests  in 
the  Indian  Ocean,  Persian  Gulf,  and  Red  Sea.  The 
cannons  to  which  I  allude  have  certain  inscriptions 
in  Portuguese  and  Arabic,  which  were  translated  to 
me  by  Captain  Hamilton,  proving  beyond  a  doubt 
that  they  were  cast  by  a  follower  of  Albuquerque. 
In  the  narrative  of  his  exploits,  it  appears  that  he 
brought  with  him  several  founders,  for  the  purpose 
of  manufacturing  arms  in  distant  countries.  In  his 
negotiations  with  Coje  Attar,  governor,  or  wallee,  of 
Harmoaz  and  Bundrabus,  Attar  corrupted  the  fol 
lowers  of  the  Portuguese  navigator  with  brilliant  of- 


THEIR    HISTORY.  331 

fers  of  gold,  and  prevailed  upon  five  seamen,  one  of 
them  a  founder,  to  desert.  This  founder,  by  the  di 
rection  of  the  governor,  cast,  between  the  years 
1507  and  1509,  at  Harmoaz,  an  island  near  the  en 
trance  of  the  Persian  Gulf,  about  three  leagues  from 
Gambaroon  (the  ancient  Dutch  name  of  an  import 
ant  port  in  Arabia),  in  the  915th  and  917th  Al  Ha- 
gari,  or  Mohammedan  year,  a  number  of  cannons 
for  Coje  Attar,  which,  together  with  some  brass  can 
nons  taken  from  Albuquerque,  were  taken  posses 
sion  of  by  Aimed,  sultan  of  Muscat,  previous  to  the 
reign  of  Syed  Syed  Bin  Soultan.  Syed  afterward 
murdered  his  uncle  Aimed,  and  became  the  ruler  of 
Muscat.  Extending  his  conquests  from  the  island 
of  Socotara,  he  fought  several  battles  with  these  can 
nons  on  the  eastern  coast  of  Arabia,  took  possession 
of  Mombas,  Pembo,  and  Zanzibar,  and  eventually 
extended  his  dominion  as  far  south  as  Mozambique. 
Such  is  an  outline  of  the  probable  history  of  these 
guns. 

The  lower  or  northern  part  of  the  town  of  N'Goo- 
ga  consists  almost  exclusively  of  huts  and  shanties, 
rudely  constructed  of  bamboo  and  cocoa-nut  leaves, 
and  is  occupied  chiefly  by  the  slaves  and  poorer 
classes.  The  southern  part  is  occupied  by  wealthy 
Banyan,  Hindoo,  and  Muscat  merchants.  Many 
of  these  merchants  have  acquired  splendid  fortunes 
in  the  ivory  and  gum-copal  trade,  and  in  commercial 
transactions  with  agents  in  the  East  Indies.  So 
great  is  their  passion  for  money,  that  they  seldom  re- 


332  TOWN  OF  N'GOOGA. 

turn  to  their  native  country  while  they  can  amass 
wealth  more  rapidly  elsewhere;  and  they  are  now 
building  large  and  commodious  residences  in  Zanzi 
bar.  The  principal  part  of  N'Googa,  however,  is  at 
best  but  the  ruin  of  a  town.  Like  the  Peruvian 
cities  lately  discovered,  it  is  a  relic  of  the  past ;  but 
there  is  nothing  in  its  clumsy  architectural  remains 
to  prove  that  it  was  ever  inhabited  by  an  enlightened 
race  of  men,  or  had  at  any  time  splendid  edifices  or 
institutions  of  learning.  The  Portuguese  did  not  im 
prove  it  while  it  was  in  their  possession ;  nor  are  the 
Arabs  of  Oman  a  race  of  people  to  build  fine  cities. 
The  present  Arabian  population  of  Zanzibar,  the 
subjects  of  Syed  Syed  Bin  Soultan,  differ  little  from 
their  forefathers  in  their  peculiarities  of  manner, 
habits,  or  religion  ;  and  it  is  but  a  natural  presump 
tion  that  they  have  not  reformed  in  point  of  indo 
lence. 

It  has  been  estimated  by  resident  merchants,  whose 
opportunities  of  acquiring  an  accurate  knowledge  of 
the  town  and  its  resources  entitle  their  opinion  to 
respect,  that  the  entire  population  within  the  limits 
of  the  town  is  between  fifty  and  sixty  thousand  souls. 
This,  from  the  size  of  the  town,  wrould  at  first  appear 
greatly  exaggerated ;  but  when  we  reflect  that  some 
of  the  wealthy  Arabs  have  over  a  thousand  slaves, 
who  are  crowded  into  small  huts,  and  that  there  are 
as  many  houses  on  one  acre  of  ground  as  there  are 
in  America  on  six,  the  estimate  does  not  appear  un 
reasonable  ;  the  population  of  the  whole  island  is 
about  a  hundred  and  fifty  thousand. 


ARAB    LOAFERS.  333 

The  mosques,  of  which  there  are  eight  or  ten  in 
the  town,  are  ordinary  stone  buildings,  plastered  and 
whitewashed.  With  their  small  barred  windows  and 
dingy  walls  (the  original  whitewash  being  covered 
with  slime  and  filth),  they  look  more  like  jails  than 
temples  of  devotion.  Their  doors  are  public  loafing 
places  for  all  the  idlers  in  town.  The  Arabs  are 
second  to  no  people  in  the  world  in  the  art  of  loafing. 
A  worthless  scoundrel,  who  has  gambled  awray  all 
his  property,  and  who  is  too  lazy  to  work,  will  saun 
ter  up  to  the  mosque  with  the  air  of  a  sultan,  and 
join  in  the  topic  of  discussion  with  as  much  non 
chalance  as  if  he  were  the  millionaire  of  the  place. 
He  can  swindle,  at  the  same  time,  with  the  ease  and 
grace  of  an  accomplished  London  sharper.  Poor, 
indeed,  is  the  Arab  who  can  not  appear  with  a  flashy 
turban,  a  gold-mounted  janibea,  and  a  jeweled  sword; 
and  dull  is  he  who  can  not  live  by  his  wits.  In  all 
their  poverty,  these  people  have  a  haughty  air. 
There  is  nothing  like  sprightliness  or  vivacity  about 
them,  and  never  a  want  of  self-confidence.  Their 
motions  are  slow,  measured,  and  dignified.  Nothing 
startles,  nothing  astonishes  them.  They  pride  them 
selves,  like  the  North  American  Indians,  on  their 
power  of  concealing  every  emotion,  good  and  bad. 
A  physiognomist  would  be  puzzled  to  read  any  thing 
in  their  stolid  features.  In  this  respect,  Miss  Par- 
doe's  admirable  description  of  the  Turks  would  ap 
ply  quite  as  appropriately  to  them ;  and,  indeed,  I 
often  fancied  myself,  when  in  the  midst  of  a  group 


334  THE  IMAUM'S  HAREM. 

of  these  proud  vagabonds,  breathing  the  atmosphere 
of  the  "  City  of  the  Sultan." 

The  imaum's  harem,  to  which  I  have  already 
briefly  alluded,  is  a  large,  plain  edifice,  with  a  red  tile 
roof,  and  whitewashed  walls.  From  the  bay,  where 
the  most  favorable  view  of  it  is  to  be  had,  it  might 
easily  be  mistaken  for  a  large  mercantile  establish 
ment.  The  back  part  of  it,  or  that  part  which  faces 
the  town,  is  perfectly  plain,  without  even  a  window. 
A  row  of  windows,  occasionally  ornamented  with 
the  greasy  faces  of  the  sultan's  concubines,  fronts  the 
bay. 

I  had  heard,  previous  to  my  visit  to  Zanzibar, 
that  this  harem  contained  some  beautiful  women 
As  I  could  never  find  any  white  person  who  had 
been  within  its  sacred  precincts,  I  am  led  to  doubt 
the  truth  of  this  assertion  from  my  own  limited  ob 
servation.  There  were  several  Arabian  girls  peep 
ing  out  of  the  beach  windows  one  morning  before 
his  highness  had  arrived  from  his  palace,  who  were 
pointed  out  to  me  as  fair  specimens.  I  must  admit 
that  they  were  in  good  condition,  being  very  fat  and 
sleek,  but,  to  my  taste,  they  were  any  thing  but  beauti 
ful.  From  personal  observation,  on  various  occa 
sions  after  that,  I  have  arrived  at  the  conclusion  that 
the  "  lights"  of  this  harem  would  be  eclipsed  by  an 
ordinary  American  quadroon,  or  even  a  mulatto  girl. 
There  are  females  of  this  description  in  New  Or 
leans,  who,  if  placed  in  a  harem,  and  taught  to  lisp 
"Alhumdilla robilla andamene  malikeo  midene"  or  any 


INHABITANTS   OF    ZANZIBAR.  335 

other  cant  phrase  from  the  Koran,  would,  with  the 
addition  of  a  graceful  turban  and  a  Persian  robe,  be 
deemed  by  some  of  our  enthusiastic  travelers  houris, 

"  Too  rich  for  use;  for  earth  too  dear;" 

fit  only  for  the  inspired  pen  of  the  poet,  or  the  ad 
miring  eyes  of  Platonic  lovers.  The  disgusting 
sensuality  of  the  sultan's  ladies,  notwithstanding  the 
vigilance  of  the  old  eunuchs,  destroys  all  the  senti 
mental  twaddle  that  has  ever  been  penned  about 
their  spirituality  and  refinement. 

The  inhabitants  are  of  various  races,  from  the  light- 
complexioned  Hindoo  to  the  darkest  African  :  Ban 
yans,  Parsees,  Malays,  Bedouin  Arabs,  Oman  Arabs, 
Sowhelians,  Africans,  &c. 

The  Sowhelian  language  is  the  most  generally 
spoken.  This  is  a  corruption  of  the  Arabic  with 
the  African,  partaking  of  the  characteristics  of  both. 
It  derives  its  name  from  a  mixed  race,  called  Sowhy- 
lese,  who  were  the  original  settlers  of  Zanzibar. 

The  Sowhelians,  of  whom  a  large  proportion  of 
the  population  consists,  are  a  gay,  light-hearted  peo 
ple,  fond  of  amusement,  and  little  influenced  by  the 
formal  rules  of  etiquette  laid  dowrn  by  their  Arab 
brethren.  In  complexion  they  closely  resemble  the 
red  Indians  of  North  America.  Their  features  are 
good,  though  not  handsome,  being  a  medium  between 
the  Arab  and  the  African;  less  regular  and  comely 
than  the  first,  and  partaking  more  of  the  character 
istics  of  the  Circassian  than  the  last.  A  writer  of 


336  FIGURATIVE  LANGUAGE. 

considerable  celebrity  speaks  of  them  as  a  highly  in 
telligent  and  poetical  people.  After  three  months' 
constant  intercourse  with  them,  I  must  say  I  never 
discovered  any  thing  like  intelligence  or  a  poetic 
spirit  among  them.  They  are  a  lively,  harmless, 
good-natured  race,  of  a  happy  disposition,  but  en 
tirely  ignorant  of  the  world,  and  few  of  them  ac 
quainted  with  letters.  Perhaps  I  should  not  pro 
nounce  them  decidedly  an  unpoetic  people.  There 
is  always  something  in  the  temperament  of  the  East 
ern  people  alive  to  poetic  feelings,  even  in  the  savage ; 
and,  from  a  want  of  absolute  terms,  such  as  belong 
to  all  cultivated  languages,  they  make  great  use  of 
figures  and  similes.  This  figurative  style  of  language 
has,  I  imagine,  been  mistaken,  in  more  than  one  in 
stance,  for  the  true  spirit  of  poetry.  Politeness 
among  the  Sowliylese  is  carried  to  excess  in  their 
mode  of  salutation.  It  is  quite  common  to  hear  two 
of  them,  when  they  meet,  pass  the  compliments  of 
the  day  in  the  following  high-flown  strain : 

Question.    Yambo  ?     Are  you  well  ? 

Answer.   Yambo.     I  am  well. 

Qi.  Yambo  Saana?     Are  you  very  well? 

A.   Saana.     Very. 

Q,.  Cana  looloo  ?     Like  pearl  ? 

A.   Cana.     All  the  sameT 

Q.  Cana  marijan  ?     Like  coral  ? 

A.   Cana.     All  the  time. 

Q.  Canafether?     Like  silver 

A.  Cana.     All  the  same. 


A    TOUCHING     LAMENT.  337 

Q.  Cana  tha-hah  ?     Like  gold  ? 

A.   Cana.     All  the  same. 

Quaharee !     Good-by  ! 

QuaJiaree !     Good-by ! 

On  meeting  they  shake  hands,  after  which  each 
kisses  his  own  hand.  This  ceremony  they  repeat  on 
parting. 

The  above  translation,  though  literal,  does  not, 
perhaps,  clearly  convey  their  meaning ;  but,  upon  re 
peated  inquiry,  I  could  find  no  other  meaning  attach 
ed  to  the  words,  which  the  natives  explain  by  saying 
that  a  man  is  like  pearl  when  he  looks  clear  and 
bright ;  like  coral  when  his  cheeks  are  red ;  like  sil 
ver  and  gold  when  his  worldly  affairs  are  all  in  a 
flourishing  condition.  These  similies  are  quite  com 
mon  among  the  Sowhylese  in  all  their  dialogues. 

Like  all  barbarous,  or  even  savage  nations,  thev 
frequently  chant  their  words  in  a  species  of  irregular 
measure,  corresponding  to  the  tone  of  voice  in  which 
they  are  uttered ;  but  it  is  with  few  gleams  of  imag 
ination.  The  following  is  the  touching  lament  of  a 
broken-hearted  man  grieving  over  the  grave  of  con 
jugal  bliss,  and  will,  no  doubt,  be  peculiarly  edifying 
to  the  ladies : 

"  Coona  nene  ?     Coona  nene  ? 
Merne  coopa  M'aka 
Manavoo  papo,  maravoo  ak  we  see 
M'gooam  anepa  oolene 
Waneenee.     Coona  nene  ? 
Se  magoopa,  m'aka 
Oothea !  oothea  !  oothea  !'' 

Uu 


338  PALACE  OF  THE  IMAUM. 

This,  rendered  into  English,  literally  means, 

"  What's  the  matter  ?     What's  the  matter  ? 
My  wife  scolds  me  plenty ; 
She  uses  stormy  talk  ; 
She  calls  me  a  bad  fellow ; 
She  says  Allah  gave  her  a  tongue. 
What's  the  matter  ?     I'm  afraid  ! 
My  wife  will  whip  me  !     Oh,  I'm  in  trouble  ! 
Trouble!  trouble!" 

Syed  Syed  Bin  Soultan  Bin  Alined,  imaum  of 
Muscat,  is  supreme  chief,  or  sultan,  of  Zanzibar. 
Syed  Sulemin,  the  former  governor  of  the  island,  de 
rives  his  office  from  the  imaum,  and  carries  on  the 
government  during  the  absence  of  Syed  Syed,  who 
performs  a  voyage  to  Muscat  to  superintend  his  do 
minions  there  every  year.  The  imaum  has,  within 
the  last  five  or  six  years,  made  Zanzibar  his  place  of 
residence  in  preference  to  the  sultry  heights  of  Mus 
cat,  generally  known  as  the  hottest  place  in  the 
world.  His  palace  is  situated  about  a  mile  and  a 
half  below  the  town,  near  a  river  called  the  Motoney. 
It  is  an  old,  but  picturesque  building,  beautifully  or 
namented  in  the  Oriental  style,  and  partially  hidden 
in  a  grove  of  cinnamon,  orange,  clove,  and  mango 
trees.  The  luxuriant  and  shady  clove  trees,  the 
fragrant  cinnamon,  the  magnificent  mangrove,  and 
all  the  opulence  of  Eastern  vegetation,  are  peculiarly 
refreshing  to  the  eye  and  grateful  to  the  senses  in 
this  tropical  climate.  A  stream  of  water  from  the 
Motoney  is  conducted  through  the  palace,  and  emp 
ties  into  the  bay  in  front.  The  richly-colored  cupo- 


HIS    STUD    OF    HORSES.  339 

las,  and  the  extreme  beauty  and  freshness  of  the 
groves,  give  you  some  idea  of  an  Oriental  scene. 

The  imaum  visits  the  town  twice  a  week  either  in 
his  pleasure-boat  or  on  horseback.  He  is  justly 
proud  of  his  beautiful  stud  of  Arabian  horses  (speci 
mens  of  which,  it  will  be  recollected,  he  sent  as  a 
present  to  the  President  of  the  United  States*  a  few 
years  since),  and  of  the  state  and  magnificence  of  his 
retinue.  Trained  to  perfection,  and  richly  caparison 
ed,  the  Arabian  horse,  celebrated  as  the  finest  in  the 
world,  is  here  seen  to  great  advantage.  He  has  all 
the  pride  and  stateliness  of  royalty,  with  the  grace 
and  ease  of  the  wild  horse  of  the  desert.  His  high- 

o 

ness  the  imaum  rides  a  spirited  charger  of  the  purest 
breed,  and,  though  upward  of  sixty  years  of  age,  sits 
in  his  saddle  with  the  easy  grace  of  an  accomplished 
equestrian.  His  long,  white  bea^  d,  and  serene  grav 
ity  of  countenance,  give  him  a  truly  venerable  ap 
pearance  ;  and  the  occasional  flash  of  his  fine  eye 

*  Our  form  of  government  prohibits  the  President  of  the  United 
States  from  receiving  presents  from  any  foreign  power;  conse 
quently,  as  these  horses  became  the  property  of  the  government,  they 
were  at  its  disposal;  and  not  being  able  to  preserve  them  in  the  "  Na 
tional  Institute,"  Congress  passed  an  act  authorizing  their  sale  by 
auction.  The  following  additional  item  I  find  in  a  Washington  paper 
of  the  23d  of  August,  1845  : 

"  Sale  of  Arabian  Horses. — The  two  Arabian  horses  received,  as 
a  present  to  Mr.  Tyler,  by  the  United  States  Consul  at  Zanzibar, 
from  the  Imaum  of  Muscat,  were  sold,  pursuant  to  an  act  of  Con 
gress,  on  the  15th.  They  were  light  gray,  mettled.  One,  seven 
years  old,  brought  $450,  and  was  purchased  by  a  gentleman  from 
Louisiana ;  and  the  other,  eight  years  old,  brought  but  $190,  and  was 
purchased  by  Dr.  John  Baldwin." 


340       COMMERCIAL    ADVANTAGES    OF    ZANZIBAR. 

speaks  of  one  who  has  fought  battles  and  who  rules 
nations.  The  long  line  of  turbaned  officers  forming 
his  retinue  are  richly  and  tastefully  dressed,  and, 
with  their  flowing  costumes  and  splendid  steeds, 
present  a  royal  pageant  strikingly  picturesque. 

The  great  advantages  which  the  Island  of  Zanzi 
bar  has  over  islands  in  the  Indian  Ocean  to  the 
southward  of  the  equator  are  not  yet  sufficiently 
known  to  be  justly  appreciated.  It  is  undoubtedly 
the  best  and  most  convenient  stopping-place  for  ves 
sels  bound  through  the  Mozambique  Channel  to  the 
Red  Sea,  the  Persian  Gulf,  and  India,  on  this  side 
the  Cape  of  Good  Hope.  The  British  East  India 
Company's  vessels  formerly  procured  refreshments, 
on  their  voyage  from  England  to  Bombay  and  Ma 
dras,  at  Johanna.  Few  merchantmen  of  any  de 
scription  now  touch  there,  owing  to  the  exorbitant 
demands  of  the  sheik  for  port-charges,  and  the  dis 
honesty  of  the  natives.  It  is  principally  frequented 
by  whalers,  though  not  so  much  so  now  as  it  was 
some  years  ago.  The  want  of  a  responsible  consul 
ar  agent  is  scarcely  counterbalanced  by  the  extreme 
fertility  of  the  island  and  the  cheapness  of  refresh 
ments.  The  Portuguese  settlements  on  the  coast, 
in  Mozambique,  are  the  worst  places,  perhaps,  be 
tween  the  Cape  and  India  to  touch  at  for  refresh 
ments.  Exclusive  of  the  unhealthiness  of  the  cli 
mate,  and  the  degraded  character  of  the  Portuguese, 
nothing  can  be  had  of  any  value  but  stagnant  rain 
water,  which,  though  better  than  none,  is  always  in- 


ITS    GREAT    FERTILITY.  341 

jurious  to  a  ship's  crew.  What  little  fruit  the  coun 
try  affords  is  consumed  by  the  settlers.  For  some 
of  the  common  necessaries  of  life  they  are  depend 
ent  upon  Majunga  and  other  ports  in  Madagascar. 
The  Seyschelles  Islands  are  too  far  to  the  eastward 
for  vessels  bound  up  the  Red  Sea  or  Persian  Gulf. 
In  fact,  there  is  no  place  in  the  Indian  Ocean  so  con 
veniently  situated  for  that  purpose  as  the  Island  of 
Zanzibar.  With  the  exception  of  Pemba  (a  small 
island  to  the  northward  of  Zanzibar,  also  under  the 
dominion  of  the  Irnaum  of  Muscat),  it  is  the  most  fer 
tile  island  on  the  eastern  coast  of  Africa.  Fruit  and 
vegetables  of  the  greatest  possible  variety  can  be  had 
at  the  town  of  N'Googa  cheaper  than  at  any  other 
seaport  in  the  Indian  Ocean  where  it  would  be  at  all 
prudent  to  stop.  Horsburg's  assertion  that  the  gov 
ernor  "  makes  a  monopoly  of  the  sale  of  these  arti 
cles,"  and  that  "  the  inhabitants,  when  permitted,  sell 
their  productions  on  more  reasonable  terms,"  is  not 
now  applicable  to  the  island.  The  late  accounts 
given  of  this  island  by  Ruschenberger,  Roberts,  Tay 
lor,  and  others,  are  all  expressive  of  surprise  at  the 
cheapness  of  fruit  and  vegetables  !  Besides,  the 
imaum  himself  is  now  at  the  head  of  the  govern 
ment,  and  will  not  permit  or  make  a  monopoly  of 
the  sale  of  any  of  the  native  products.  Prince  Syed 
Carlid,  one  of  the  imaum's  sons,  who  has  jurisdiction 
over  the  commercial  transactions  of  the  natives,  has 
no  power  himself  to  create  a  monopoly.  It  is  doubt 
ful  whether  even  the  sultan  could  do  it,  so  little  re- 


342  SLAVE    TRADE    ABOLISHED. 

spect  have  the  natives  for  his  authority  when  it  con 
flicts  with  their  interests.  At  all  events,  they  dis 
pose  of  the  products  of  their  shambas,  or  plantation, 
without  restraint,  at  their  own  prices.  No  sickness 
need  be  apprehended,  if  proper  precautions  are  tak 
en  ;  but,  at  the  same  time,  it  would  be  to  the  inter 
est  of  vessels  to  remain  in  port  no  longer  than  is  ac 
tually  necessary  to  procure  refreshments.  It  is  not 
a  climate  which  can  be  tampered  with.  I  have 
shown  in  another  chapter  the  cause  of  its  fatality 
among  sea-faring  men.  I  propose  in  some  future 
chapter  to  offer  a  few  hints  in  regard  to  the  means 
by  which  sickness  might  be  avoided. 

The  resources  of  Zanzibar,  as  a  place  of  trade, 
are  now  considered  of  some  importance  in  the  com 
mercial  world.  So  far  as  relates  to  the  slave  trade, 
it  may  be  seen,  by  reference  to  the  existing  treaties 
between  the  sovereign  of  Muscat  and  the  British 
and  American  powers,  that  it  is  now  confined  to  na 
tions  which  do  not  come  under  the  denomination  of 
"  Christian."  On  the  tenth  of  September,  1822,  a 
treaty  was  entered  into  by  Great  Britain  with  his 
highness  the  Imaum  of  Muscat,  for  the  perpetual 
abolition  of  the  slave  trade  between  the  dominions 
of  his  highness  and  all  Christian  nations.  This 
treaty  was  recorded  and  confirmed  in  a  more  formal 
manner  in  August,  1839,  by  Robert  Cogan,  Esq., 
plenipotentiary  on  the  part  of  her  majesty,  Victoria, 
and  Hassan  Bin  Ibrahim  and  Mahamet  Ali  Bin  Na- 
sir,  on  behalf  of  the  imaum.  There  was  also  a  con- 


COMMERCIAL    TREATIES.  343 

vention  of  commerce  entered  into  at  Zanzibar  reg 
ulating  the  trade  between  British  subjects  and  the 
subjects  of  the  imaum,  granting  free  intercourse  be 
tween  the  merchants  of  both  nations,  and  affording 
them  every  facility  in  their  commercial  pursuits.  It 
also  limited  the  duty  on  British  and  East  India  mer 
chandise,  and  regulated  the  collecting  of  the  cus 
toms.  The  laws  governing  residents,  and  the  pow 
ers  of  consuls  and  resident  agents,  were  more  strictly 
defined.  This  treaty  was  concluded  at  Zanzibar  on 
the  31st  of  May,  1839,  and  ratifications  were  ex 
changed  on  the  22d  of  July,  1840.  It  had  its  ori 
gin,  no  doubt,  in  our  own  treaty  of  commerce,  nego 
tiated  and  concluded  in  the  years  1833-34,*  which 
gave  us  many  commercial  advantages.  The  neces 
sity  for  our  treaty  had  sprung  out  of  the  increasing 
importance  of  the  Island  of  Zanzibar,  which  charac 
ter  the  indomitable  energy  and  enterprise  of  the  Sa 
lem  merchants  had  given  it  by  the  extensive  trade 
they  had  opened  with  it  in  exchanging  American 
manufactures  for  gum  copal,  ivory  teeth,  ebony,  goat 
skins,  hides,  &c. 

*  The  treaty  of  amity  and  commerce  between  his  highness  the 
Imaum  of  Muscat  and  the  government  of  the  United  States  was  pre 
sented  and  concluded  at  Muscat  by  Edmund  Roberts,  Esq.,  envoy 
to  the  courts  of  Siam  and  Muscat,  on  the  21st  of  September,  1833. 
It  went  into  operation  on  the  30th  of  June,  1834.  Ratifications  were 
exchanged  on  the  30th  of  September,  1835.  This  treaty  was  trans 
lated  into  the  Arabic  by  Syed  Bin  Calfaun,  the  sultan's  interpreter, 
and  present  United  States  consular  agent  at  Muscat.  The  conven 
tion  of  commerce  between  the  imaum  and  the  government  of  Great 
Britain  is  similar  to  our  treaty  in  most  of  its  provisions. 


344          SCHOOLS  AND  EDUCATION. 

The  value  of  a  practical  education  is  here  duly  ap 
preciated.  Schools  for  the  young  are  numerous.  A 
knowledge  of  the  rudiments  of  arithmetic  and  the 
art  of  writing  is  considered  essential  in  all  business 
pursuits.  When  the  pupil  can  cipher  sufficiently 
well  to  he  qualified  for  the  office  of  crajiee,  or  clerk, 
write  the  Arabic,  Sowhelian,  and  Hindoo,  and  read 
the  Koran  throughout,  he  has  an  education  which 
fits  him  for  all  the  pursuits  of  Oriental  life.  Many 
of  the  young  men  have  visited  England  and  Amer 
ica,  where  the  colleges  and  seminaries  have  struck 
them  with  wonder,  and  shown  them  how  much  they 
have  yet  to  learn.  A  voyage  to  Europe  or  America 
is  a  matter  of  pride  to  them  during  life,  and  causes 
them  to  be  looked  upon  as  persons  of  consequence. 
I  was  particularly  struck  with  the  aristocratic  bear 
ing  of  Ahamet  Bin  Hamees,  secretary  to  the  imaum, 
who  had  visited  England,  and  received  an  excellent 
education  under  the  auspices  of  some  of  the  nobili 
ty.  He  has  certainly  something  to  boast  of;  for,  al 
though  as  black  as  the  ace  of  spades  (and  darkness 
of  complexion  has  its  disadvantages  as  well  in  Zan 
zibar  as  elsewhere),  and  of  lo\v  descent,  he  got  him 
self  into  notice  by  his  own  natural  talent  and  his 
perseverance.  He  is  extremely  polite  to  white  peo 
ple,  but  looks  down  upon  his  own  caste  with  all  the 
contempt  springing  from  conscious  superiority  in  ed 
ucation  and  intellect.  I  conversed  with  him  on  the 
subject  of  the  patronage  he  had  received  in  Eng 
land,  and  was  greatly  amused  at  the  sang  froid  with 


AN  ARAB'S  OPINION  OF  THE  SALEM  LADIES.  345 

which  he  spoke  of  having,  on  various  occasions, 
dined  with  the  queen,  and  the  tone  of  familiar  free 
dom  with  which  he  alluded  to  his  friends  Lord , 

the  Duke  of ,  Sir  Thomas  or  Sir  John ,  &c. 

His  pronunciation  of  the  English  language  is  pain 
fully  precise,  and  altogether  according  to  Walker 
and  Johnson.  When  parting  with  him  after  my  first 
interview,  he  politely  tendered  me  his  card,  which 
was  neatly  printed  in  English  letters, 

"  MR.  AHAMET  BIN  HAMEES, 
"  Secretary  to  His  Highness  the  Imaum  of  Muscat" 

Rajab,  a  young  Arab,  whose  acquaintance  I  made 
during  my  sojourn,  had  been  to  Salem,  Massachu 
setts,  in  a  merchantman.  Speaking  of  the  houses  in 
Salem  and  Boston,  he  said,  "  Oh,  very  fine  !  Big  ! 
too  big  !  Grand  !  Zanzibar  nothing  at  all !  Bom 
bay  nothing  at  all !"  He  was  quite  enthusiastic  in 
his  encomiums  on  the  Salem  ladies,  whose  charms 
he  dwelt  upon  with  all  the  raptures  of  a  young  amo 
roso.  "  His  highness  (the  sultan)  no  sabby  women 
all  de  same  as  Salem  ladies  !  Skin  white,  all  de 
same  as  paper !  Teeth  like  bright  pearl !  Hair 
long,  fine,  too  fine !  Eyes  !  Bismilla !  when  dey  look 
at  me  I  feel  all  ober  drunk ;  I  no  sabby  nothing !" 

I  spent  my  evenings  strolling  about  town,  gather 
ing  up  what  information  I  could  respecting  the  man 
ners  and  customs  of  the  inhabitants.  I  was  greatly 
indebted,  in  my  inquiries,  to  two  young  Americans, 
clerks  in  the  employ  of  the  United  States  consul, 

X  x 


346  INQUISITIVENESS. 

who  spoke  the  Sowhelian  language.  There  are  so 
few  white  residents  in  the  place,  and  they  are  so 
familiar  to  the  citizens,  that  my  appearance  as  a 
temporary  resident  created  quite  a  sensation.  With 
all  that  curiosity  attributed  to  Yankees,  they  inquired 
of  my  friends  where  I  was  from,  where  going,  what 
I  followed,  how  I  came  to  Zanzibar,  when  I  was 
going  away,  &c.  No  vessel  had  been  in  port  for 
some  time  except  the  Styx,  and  the  consul  having 
improved  my  appearance  considerably,  they  could 
scarcely  believe  I  came  out  of  a  whaler,  having  a 
pious  aversion  to  any  craft  engaged  in  the  shedding 
of  blood,  and  the  business  of  preserving  grease.  On 
being  informed  that  I  had  actually  been  in  a  whaler, 
they  congratulated  me  on  my  release,  and  heartily 
welcomed  to  their  island  the  "  Manoomagee  /"  in 
their  own  figurative  language,  the  "  Child  of  the 
Ocean !" 

As  yet,  neither  the  resources  nor  the  physical 
characteristics  of  Zanzibar  have  been  accurately  de 
scribed.  This  fact  I  attribute,  not  to  a  want  of  per 
ception  on  the  part  of  those  writers  who  have  at 
tempted  to  give  some  idea  of  the  island,  but  to  the 
fact  that  few,  if  any  of  them,  have  enjoyed  the  op 
portunity  of  acquiring  strict  knowledge  on  the  sub 
ject.  Officers  of  American  and  English  vessels  of 
war  have  spent  a  few  days  in  making  hasty  re 
searches,  and,  after  gathering  sufficient  material  from 
their  casual  and  limited  observation  to  cram  into  a 
general  journal,  without  the  slightest  opportunity  of 


EXAGGERATIONS    OF    TRAVELERS.  347 

ascertaining  whether  they  are  correct  in  their  views 
or  not,  have  published  to  the  world  the  result  of  their 
investigations.  It  is  quite  natural  that  these  ac 
counts,  distorted  and  exaggerated  as  they  are  by  the 
enthusiastic  imagination  of  the  writers,  should  be 
very  erroneous.  The  prevailing  misrepresentations 
respecting  this  island,  however,  have  not  been  alto 
gether  promulgated  by  modern  writers.  In  the  trans 
lation  of  the  old  Portuguese  work,  to  which  reference 
has  already  been  made,  descriptive  of  the  voyages 
of  Vasco  de  Gam  a,  Albuquerque,  and  other  naviga 
tors,  there  is  an  account  of  a  grand  victory  achieved 
by  the  Portuguese  over  the  natives  of  this  island. 
The  description  of  this  achievement  is  quite  as  exag 
gerated  as  Marco  Polo's  narrative  of  the  magnificent 
court  of  Kubla  Khan.  Impossibilities  are  advanced 
as  facts,  redounding  to  the  everlasting  glory  of  the 
Portuguese.  We  are  told  in  one  passage  that  the 
natives,  frantic  with  fear,  and  panic-stricken  at  the 
bravery  of  the  Portuguese,  fled  in  a  body  to  the 
mountains!  Now,  this  was  certainly  one  of  the 
most  extraordinary  feats  on  record ;  especially  when 
we  take  into  consideration  that  there  is  not  a  mount 
ain,  and  scarcely  a  hill  of  any  considerable  height  on 
the  whole  island !  Kizimbane,  the  site  of  the  sul 
tan's  shamba,  is,  I  believe,  the  highest  part  of  Zanzi 
bar;  and  no  effort  of  the  imagination  can  make  any 
thing  but  a  hill  of  it.  From  the  ocean,  the  entire 
island  has  the  appearance  of  a  dead  level;  and,  in 
deed,  so  low  is  it,  that  the  slight  undulations  on  its 


348  SPEEDY    PUNISHMENT. 

surface  can  scarcely  be  seen  at  the  distance  of  a  few 
leagues.  The  unhealthiness  of  the  climate  is  owing, 
in  a  great  measure,  to  its  flat  surface,  which  retains 
the  rain,  and  thus  abounds  in  marshes.  In  a  tropi 
cal  climate,  from  the  extreme  luxuriance  of  the  vege 
tation,  these  marshy  flats  are  peculiarly  destructive 
to  the  health.  The  exhalations  and  noxious  vapors 
arising  from  them  are  fatal  to  European  constitu 
tions. 

The  principle  of  law  here  is  "  an  eye  for  an  eye, 
and  a  tooth  for  a  tooth."  Mr.  Fabeus  told  me  of 
several  instances  which  had  come  under  his  observa 
tion  of  prompt  and  despotic  punishment. 

A  native  from  the  coast  stabbed  a  subject  of  the 
sultan.  He  was  carried  to  the  public  bazar,  and 
the  citizens  were  summoned  to  witness  his  execu 
tion.  The  sultan  in  person  was  present  with  his 
guard  of  soldiers.  The  prisoner  was  bound  hand  and 
foot,  and  thrown  upon  his  back.  At  a  given  signal, 
the  executioner,  a  soldier,  armed  with  a  long  knife, 
approached  him,  and,  slowly  removing  his  scarf, 
placed  the  point  of  the  knife  against  his  breast.  Not 
a  wrord  was  spoken ;  all  was  done  silently  and  quiet 
ly.  The  prisoner  calmly  gazed  in  the  face  of  his 
executioner,  without  betraying  the  least  symptom  of 
fear.  Another  signal  was  given,  and  the  soldier, 
kneeling  upon  his  breast,  slowly  and  deliberately 
thrust  the  knife  into  his  heart.  A  convulsive  shud 
der  passed  through  the  frame  of  the  wretched  mur 
derer;  the  crimson  blood  spouted  from  his  wound; 


AN    INCORRIGIBLE    THIEF.  349 

and,  when  they  lifted  him  up  to  bear  him  away,  he 
was  dead  !  The  body  was  taken  to  the  receptacle  for 
executed  criminals  (a  sterile  part  of  the  shore,  about 
two  miles  to  the  southward  of  the  town),  and  there 
thrown  upon  the  rocks  to  be  devoured  by  wild  dogs 
and  birds  of  prey. 

I  saw  myself  one  of  the  victims  of  the  sultan's 
barbarity.  It  was  a  very  aggravated  case  on  both 
sides ;  but  I  hardly  think  it  justified  so  much  cruelty. 
A  poor  wretch,  horribly  maimed,  had  frequently  so 
licited  alms  from  me  in  the  streets.  He  had  neither 
hands  nor  feet,  and  was  entirely  naked.  I  inquired 
of  Hassan  Ben  Ibrahim  what  had  mutilated  him ;  and 
learned  that  the  object  of  my  pity  was  an  incorrigible 
thief,  who,  for  the  first  offense,  had  his  middle  fingers 
cut  off;  for  the  next,  his  left  hand.  The  desire  to 
appropriate  to  his  own  use  the  property  of  others 
was  not  yet  satiated.  He  committed  theft  again,  and 
his  right  hand  was  cut  off.  His  propensity  for  steal 
ing  was  stronger  than  his  fear  of  punishment ;  and, 
before  the  wounds  had  healed,  he  stole  again  and 
again,  till  he  lost  both  his  feet.  It  was  in  that  miser 
able  condition  I  saw  him.  Hassan  said  he  had  no 
doubt  the  fellow  would  steal  till  both  his  arms  and 
legs  were  cut  off. 

Although  this  was  the  only  man  I  saw  who  had 
lost  his  hands  and  feet,  I  met  every  day  persons  who 
had  their  fingers,  toes,  hands,  or  ears  cut  off  for  petty 
crimes. 

It  has  become  fashionable  in  the  United  States  to 


350  CHARACTER    OF    THE    IMAUM. 

speak  of  the  Imaum  of  Muscat  in  the  most  extrava 
gant  terms  of  admiration,  as  a  hero,  a  patriot,  a  law 
giver,  and  a  miracle  of  honor,  humanity,  and  gener 
osity.  During  my  stay  at  Zanzibar  I  had,  perhaps, 
a  better  opportunity  of  becoming  acquainted  with  his 
real  character  than  most  of  the  visitors  to  that  island 
who  had  preceded  me ;  and  my  observation  leads  me 
to  believe  that  these  opinions  are  too  hastily  formed. 
The  sultan's  principles  of  honor,  honesty,  and  hu 
manity  may  be  in  accordance  with  the  ideas  of  cap 
tains  and  officers,  and  quite  creditable  to  an  Arab ; 
but  they  will  hardly  accord  with  the  customs  of  civ 
ilized  nations. 

A  subject  of  his  highness,  belonging  to  Mombas, 
sold  a  "  dow"  (what  we  would  call  a  fishing-smack) 
to  another  subject  living  at  Zanzibar,  who,  having 
taken  possession  of  the  property,  refused  or  evaded 
payment.  The  owner  of  the  dow  stated  his  griev 
ance  to  the  sultan.  The  defaulter  was  taken  up,  the 
dow  taken  from  him  and  sold  at  auction,  and  the 
proceeds  safely  deposited  in  his  highness's  coffers. 
The  man  to  whom  the  money  rightfully  belonged 
did  not  receive  a  cent.  He  made  application  to  an 
English  merchant  residing  at  Zanzibar,  with  the 
hope  of  obtaining  redress  from  the  British  govern 
ment;  but  the  merchant  refused  to  interfere  in  the 
matter. 

Mohammed  Abdelkada,  one  of  the  sultan's  chief 
officers,  had  a  fine  plantation  in  the  neighborhood 
of  his  highness's  palace  at  Montoney.  He  had  ac- 


HIS    POWER    GREATLY    EXAGGERATED.  351 

quired  it  after  years  of  industry,  and  lived  upon  it 
with  his  family.  The  sultan  thought  it  would  make 
an  excellent  addition  to  his  shamba,  and  without 
ceremony  ejected  Mohammed,  and  made  him  no 
recompense  whatever.  Various  other  instances  have 
occurred  to  show  that  he  is  no  respecter  of  private 
property.  He  cares  very  little  about  the  rights  of 
his  subjects,  if  they  interfere  with  his  own  interests.  , 

His  power  has  been  greatly  magnified.  It  is 
stated  by  Dr.  Ruschenberger  that  he  has  control  over 
all  the  ports  in  East  Africa,  the  coast  of  Arabia,  and 
Abyssinia.  Where  this  information  was  obtained  I 
am  unable  to  say  ;  perhaps  it  was  from  the  sultan,  or 
Hassan  Ben  Ibrahim.  This  much  is  certain,  that 
the  statement  is  altogether  fallacious.  Captain  Ham 
ilton,  who  has  traveled  over  every  part  of  the  sultan's 
dominions,  and  who  has  spent  twenty  years  of  his 
life  in  the  service  of  the  British  government  as  a 
political  agent,  assured  me  that  the  sultan  could  not 
name  a  port  or  island,  except  Muscat,  Socotara,  Zan 
zibar,  Pemba,  Mombas,  and  perhaps  a  few  places  of 
minor  consequence  on  the  coast,  that  he  could  call 
his  own.  In  Arabia  his  power  is  only  acknowledged 
from  Kalhaut  to  Has  al  Head.  Even  at  Ras  al 
Head,  almost  within  gunshot  of  Muscat,  his  influence 
is  very  slight. 

Still,  for  an  Arab  chief,  his  dominion  is  consider 
able,  and  altogether  peculiar.  Other  barbarian  po 
tentates  of  the  Arabian  and  African  coasts  exercise 
their  authority  in  some  single  section  of  the  desert, 


352  EXTENT    OF    THE    IMAUEf's    DOMINION. 

larger  or  smaller;  places  contiguous  or  separate,  at 
small  distances.  The  imaum,  occupying  originally 
the  port  of  Muscat,  so  situated  between  Arabia  and 
India  as  to  fall  within  the  course  of  European  inter 
course,  has  gradually  acquired  some  European  ideas; 
and  possessing  himself  of  a  few  vessels,  has  extend 
ed  his  power  down  the  coast  of  Africa  to  points  very 
distant  from  each  other.  Muscat  lies  on  the  coast 
of  that  part  of  the  Indian  Ocean  called  the  Arabian 
Sea,  not  more  than  two  hundred  miles  from  the  Per 
sian  Gulf.  Socotara  is  an  island  of  some  importance, 
eight  or  nine  hundred  miles  south,  near  the  coast  of 
Africa,  and  on  the  direct  route  from  the  Red  Sea  to 
Ceylon ;  and  from  this  to  the  port  of  Mombas,  and 
the  islands  of  Pemba  and  Zanzibar,  it  is  not  less  than 
fifteen  to  seventeen  hundred  miles  southward,  toward 
Madagascar  and  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope. 

The  diplomatic  intercourse  between  the  English 
and  American  governments  and  his  sultanic  highness 
has  been  of  a  character  sufficiently  curious. 

I  learned  from  Captain  Hamilton  that  among  the 
various  costly  presents  sent  to  the  Sultan  of  Muscat 
from  England  was  a  splendid  yacht,  called  the  Prince 
Regent.  It  was  built  and  fitted  by  order  of  George 
the  Fourth.  The  basso-relievo  work  in  the  cabin 
did  not  suit  his  highness,  and  he  took  umbrage  at  it. 
The  king  offered  to  repair  or  alter  it  in  any  manner 
that  the  sultan  might  suggest  Syed  Syed,  however. 
wrould  not  accept  it  under  any  other  terms  than  that 
he  should  be  allowed  to  dispose  of  it  as  he  pleased. 


PRESENTS    FROM    THE    BRITISH    GOVERNMENT.  353 

Permission  being  granted  him,  he  sold  the  yacht  to 
the  residency  at  Bombay,  and,  while  laughing  in  his 
sleeve  at  the  simplicity  of  his  English  friend,  deposit 
ed  the  gold  in  his  coffers. 

A  magnificent  set  of  silver  plate  was  also  sent  out 
from  England  to  his  highness.  After  keeping  them 
a  sufficient  length  of  time  to  elude  suspicion,  the  sul 
tan  disposed  of  them  to  his  neighbors  and  officers. 
Some,  who  were  able  to  purchase  them,  got  the  sil 
ver  spoons ;  others,  the  plate ;  and  an  old  Arab  in 
Muscat  was  fortunate  enough  to  obtain  possession 
of  one  of  the  immense  head-dishes,  which  he  now 
uses  for  his  paddee. 

Queen  Victoria  sent  him  a  splendid  carriage,  and 
with  it  a  letter,  stating  that,  as  his  highness  would  per 
ceive,  it  was  a  very  superior  article,  constructed  pre 
cisely  on  the  model  of  her  own  carriage  of  state; 
and  she  had  no  doubt  his  highness  would  appreciate 
it  all  the  better,  when  she  informed  him  that  it  was 
constructed  by  her  own  artisan,  and  was  peculiarly 
adapted,  in  ease  of  motion,  to  the  smooth  and  beauti 
ful  roads  of  Zanzibar.  She  hoped  his  highness's 
footmen  and  drivers  would  display  it  to  the  best  ad 
vantage,  and  she  enjoyed  the  belief  that  his  highness 
would  ride  out  often  in  his  delightful  parks.  The 
whips,  harness,  cushions,  trimmings,  &c.,  were  of  the 
finest  workmanship  and  most  costly  material.  The 
\vhole  affair  was  built  at  the  expense  of  $9000. 
When  the  sultan  received  this  present  he  was  in 
raptures ;  but  he  very  soon  had  the  richest  of  the 

Y  Y 


354  PRESENTS  FROM  THE  AMERICAN  GOVERNMENT. 

ornaments  taken  off  to  convert  into  money.  Her 
majesty's  knowledge  of  the  dominions  of  his  highness 
being  altogether  drawn  from  works  of  an  imaginative 
character,  she  was  of  course  quite  excusable  for  not 
knowing  that  there  is  no  such  thing  as  a  carriage 
road  in  the  jungles  of  Zanzibar,  or  on  the  sun 
burned  heights  of  Muscat.  The  idea  of  presenting 
a  splendid  carriage  to  the  sultan,  when  he  could  make 
no  earthly  use  of  it  as  it  was  designed  to  be  used, 
was  about  as  ridiculous  as  addressing  him  in  verse. 
I  saw  this  carriage  myself;  and  it  grieved  me  to  think 
now  pearls  were  thrown  before  swine.  It  is  now 
boxed  up,  after  having  been  defaced  by  the  na 
tives,  the  beautiful  ornamental  work  all  destroyed, 
and  the  whole  affair  rendered  unfit  for  use,  even  if 
there  were  roads.  The  moths  and  vermin  have  de 
stroyed  all  the  embroidery  and  inside  trimmings,  and 
the  wood-work  is  ruined  by  worms.  As  it  stands 
now,  it  is  not  worth  fifty  dollars. 

The  articles  presented  to  the  sultan  by  the  govern 
ment  of  the  United  States  fared  no  better.  He  re 
ceived  by  the  Peacock,  as  is  stated  by  Ruschenber- 
ger,  a  sword  and  altagar  with  gold  scabbards  and 
mountings,  Tanner's  Map  of  the  United  States,  a  set 
of  American  coins,  several  rifles,  a  number  of  cut- 
glass  lamps,  a  quantity  of  American  Nankin,  known 
as  Forsyth's  Nankin,  &c.  Now,  the  merchants  who 
have  resided  at  Zanzibar  for  years,  and  who  know 
exactly  every  thing  said  and  clone  by  the  sultan  in 
relation  to  our  government,  say  that  his  highness 


DISHONORABLE    CONDUCT    OF    THE    SULTAN.     355 

treated  these  gifts  with  perfect  contempt,  however 
well  pleased  he  may  have  expressed  himself  to  the 
commander  and  officers  of  the  Peacock.  The  in 
trinsic  value  of  a  present,  not  the  friendly  feelings 
with  which  it  is  given,  has  its  influence  with  him.  It 
was  certainly  a  very  small  business  to  send  a  set  of 
trifles  of  this  kind  to  a  foreign  sovereign  ;  but  it  was 
not  very  honorable  in  the  sultan  to  sell  the  greater 
part  of  them  to  his  subjects,  for  it  is  well  known  in 
Zanzibar  he  did  so. 

I  was  witness  myself  to  a  transaction  of  this  kind- 
It  is  very  generally  known  that  a  splendid  boat,  worth 
$3000,  was  sent  out  to  the  sultan  by  our  govern 
ment.  His  highness,  with  his  suite  of  officers,  met 
with  an  accident  the  day  it  was  first  tried  at  Zanzi 
bar.  Owing  to  the  awkwardness  of  the  boatmen,  it 
upset  in  the  bay,  and  completely  ducked  the  royal 
party.  The  sultan,  attaching  the  blame  to  the  boat 
rather  than  to  the  awkwardness  of  the  men,  had  it 
carried  on  board  his  frigate,  the  Sha-Halm,  where  it 
remained  neglected  and  unused  till  the  trimmings 
were  totally  ruined,  and  the  fine  mountings  stolen  or 
sold  by  the  sultan's  officers.  His  highness  offered  it 
as  a  present  to  the  American  consul,  who  of  course 
was  bound  to  decline  the  gift.  He  then  tried  to  sell 
it  to  some  of  his  subjects,  but  they  preferred  their 
native  craft.  Finally,  he  made  a  bargain  with  the 
British  consul  (which  I  witnessed  personally)  to  this 
effect:  The  consul  had  a  common  six-oared  boat, 
worth  about  two  hundred  dollars,  which  the  sultan 


356    FATE    OF    THE    AMERICAN    PLEASURE    BOAT. 

received  in  exchange  for  his  three  thousand  dollar 
present.  By  his  oath  of  office,  the  British  consul  is 
bound  neither  to  transact  business  on  his  own  ac 
count  with  the  sultan,  nor  to  receive  any  present  or 
presents.  The  difficulty  was  thus  obviated  on  both 
sides  :  The  sultan  wished  to  get  rid  of  his  fine  boat, 
because  through  awkwardness  it  had  once  been  up 
set;  and  the  British  consul  quieted  his  own  con 
science,  in  violating  the  spirit  of  his  obligations  to 
his  government,  by  receiving  it  as  a  mere  matter  of 
exchange — an  accommodation  which  politeness  re 
quired  him  to  extend  to  the  sultan !  So  much  for 
making  presents  to  an  Arab  potentate. 

I  would  suggest,  in  consideration  of  these  facts, 
that,  when  it  is  conceived  this  government  is  indebt 
ed  to  the  Sultan  of  Muscat,  instead  of  sending  him 
flimsy  toys,  trumpery,  enameled  and  silver-mounted 
boats,  &c.,  the  proper  course  would  be  to  present  him 
with  a  few  mulatto  ladies  for  his  harem,  or  send  over 
for  his  use  some  white  slaves  out  of  the  whale  fishery 
or  navy.  In  case  he  should  object  to  these,  it  would 
be  but  honest  to  hand  him  over  the  cash,  which,  af 
ter  all,  is  the  most  acceptable  commodity  that  can  be 
presented  to  him. 


ARABIAN    TOWNS.  357 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

Arabian  Towns. — Topography  of  N'Googa. — Fatal  Effects  of  the  Cli 
mate. — Unchristian  Treatment  of  a  Scotch  Seaman. — Wretched 
Condition  of  the  Natives. — Barbarous  Treatment  of  Sailors. — The 
Sultan's  Generosity  toward  the  American  People. — Directions  for 
the  Preservation  of  Health. 

Zanzibar,  July,  1843. 

A  VERY  remarkable  peculiarity  in  all  Arabian 
towns  is  the  narrowness  of  the  streets.  Those  of 
Henzooanee,  the  capital  of  Johanna,  are  not  more 
than  five  or  six  feet  wide ;  and  at  Muscat,  where  it 
might  naturally  be  supposed  the  intense  heat  of  the 
climate  would  render  room  a  matter  of  great  im 
portance,  they  seldom  exceed  ten  feet  in  width. 
Majunga,  on  the  margin  of  Bembatooka  Bay,  Mad 
agascar,  though  not  built  by  the  Arabs,  partakes 
strongly  of  this  characteristic.  The  houses,  which 
are  chiefly  composed  of  bamboo,  thatched  with  pal 
metto-leaves,  are  huddled  so  closely  together  as  to 
leave  scarcely  room  to  pass  between  them.  This  is 
where  the  population  is  dense.  Immediately  along 
the  beach  they  are  scattering,  and  built  without  any 
regard  to  order  or  regularity.  Aden  resembles  very 
closely  the  town  of  N'Googa,  being  for  the  most 
part  composed  of  bamboo  huts,  interspersed  with 
mosques  and  other  stone  buildings.  Mocha  has 
many  stone  houses  in  it  of  considerable  size,  but  the 


358       DEGRADED    CONDITION    OF    THE    NATIVES. 

streets  are  so  narrow  and  filthy  as  to  render  it  a  very 
undesirable  place  of  residence  for  Europeans  or 
Americans.  Captain  Webb,  of  Salem,  who  spent 
some  time  there  in  the  capacity  of  a  mercantile 
agent,  gave  me  a  very  unfavorable  description  of 
the  town.  The  natives  he  described  as  an  indolent, 
superstitious,  and  degraded  race,  extremely  treacher 
ous,  and  possessing  no  taste  whatever  for  the  refine 
ments  of  civilized  life.  In  their  manner  of  living 
they  are  little  better  than  mere  brutes ;  and  so  hos 
tile  are  they  to  any  invasions  upon  their  established 
customs,  that  they  openly  oppose  every  attempt  to 
improve  their  moral  and  social  condition.  The  cli 
mate  is  insufferably  warm.  At  times  the  showers 
of  red  sand  which  come  sweeping  down  from  the 
deserts  are  suffocating,  and  the  only  means  of  avoid 
ing  their  baneful  effects  are  refuge  and  close  con 
finement  in  the  houses.  Momlas,  as  described  by 
Boteler,  Owens,  and  others  connected  with  the  sur 
veying  expedition  under  the  auspices  of  the  British 
Admiralty,  differs  in  no  respect  from  the  generality 
of  Arabian  towns.  The  houses  are  built  of  stone, 
bamboo,  and  the  leaves  of  the  coaco-nut  tree ;  and 
the  streets  barely  admit  of  two  persons  walking 
abreast.  The  same  may  be  said  of  Brava,  Quilau, 
Tangate,  and,  in  fact,  all  the  Arabian  towns  on  this 
side  of  the  African  and  Asiatic  continents. 

N'Googa  extends  about  a  mile  along  the  beach, 
and  is  situated  in  a  bend  formed  by  two  points  of 
the  island,  distant  from  each  other  about  two  leagues. 


SITUATION    OF    N'GOOGA.  359 

The  bay  derives  its  chief  safety  from  its  situation 
being  that  side  of  the  island,  which  is  protected  from 
heavy  gales  from  the  west  by  the  coast  of  Africa, 
from  the  east  by  the  entire  stretch  of  land  embraced 
between  the  northern  and  southern  points,  and  by 
the  small  islands  of  Pemba  and  a  small  group  near 
Ras  Kizimbas,  which  protect  it  from  strong  northern 
and  southern  gales.  The  bay  itself,  being  very  open, 
would  otherwise  afford  but  an  indifferent  protection 
to  the  shipping.  It  is  only  on  the  changes  of  the 
monsoons  that  Zanzibar  is  visited  at  all  by  gales  of 
any  consequence.  During  the  remainder  of  the 
year  a  steady  breeze  prevails,  the  weather  is  regular, 
and  the  wind  seldom  shifts  more  than  two  or  three 
points  of  the  compass.  There  are  several  small  isl 
ands  at  the  outer  extremity  of  the  bay,  which  pre 
vent  the  strong  currents  of  air  arising  in  the  interior 
of  Zanzibar,  and  passing  from  that  part  of  the  con 
tinent  over  the  space  of  water  that  intervenes,  from 
acquiring  material  force  before  reaching  the  shipping 
opposite  the  town.  In  this  way  Nature  has  made 
up  the  deficiencies,  which,  if  situated  as  Johanna, 
the  Seyschelles  Islands,  Mauritius,  or  Bourbon  are, 
unprotected  by  a  continent,  would  render  Zanzibar 
a  very  unsafe  place  of  resort.  There  is  no  conven 
ient  or  secure  harbor  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  isl 
and;  and,  without  considering  this  fact,  it  would 
seem  rather  singular  that  the  town  should  have  been 
located  at  a  point  so  difficult  of  access  at  certain  pe 
riods  of  the  year.  A  strong  northerly  current,  com- 


360  DIVISIONS  OF  N'GOOGA. 

bined  with  a  northeastern  monsoon,  frequently  com 
pels  vessels  to  put  to  sea  after  many  attempts  to  haul 
up  from  the  southward;  and  the  only  way  of  reach 
ing  the  town  in  such  cases  is  to  make  a  long  tack 
to  the  eastward,  and  come  in  to  the  northward  of 
Pemba,  there  being  no  safe  passage  for  vessels  be 
tween  Zanzibar  and  Pemba  by  which  the  interven 
ing  distance  might  be  cut  off.  It  requires  skill  and 
care  to  drop  down  through  the  channel  formed  by 
these  two  islands  and  the  main-land,  owing  to  the 
number  of  bars  and  small  islands  which  obstruct  its 
navigation. 

N'Googa  is  divided  into  several  sections,  inhabited 
mainly  by  distinct  classes.  The  name  of  each  sec 
tion  denotes  some  peculiarity  in  the  inhabitants  or 
the  articles  of  trade.  A  considerable  portion  of  the 
town  to  the  south  is  called  Boo-boo-boo,  from  a  san 
guinary  battle  which  was  once  fought  there  by  two 
factions  of  the  natives.  The  Soco-Mohogo  derives 
its  name  from  the  fact  that  it  is  the  principle  place 
for  the  traffic  of  mohogo,  or  cassada  root.  Of  the 
other  sections,  to  each  of  which  is  attached  some 
meaning  indicative  of  its  character,  the  most  import 
ant  are  Melinda,  Shonganee,  Bunganee,  Guzzeega, 
and  Hindostan.  Melinda  is  the  northern  part  of  the 
town,  containing  a  large  portion  of  the  Sowhelian 
and  African  population,  and  consists  chiefly  of  huts. 
Shonganee  is  a  section  in  the  rear,  inhabited  by 
Arabs  and  their  slaves.  Bunganee  is  situated  on  the 
beach  to  the  southward,  and  embraces  the  residence 


POPULATION.  361 

of  the  English  consul,  Captain  Webb,  Mr.  Norsun- 
thy,  the  store-house  of  the  American  consul,  and  oth 
er  stone  buildings  of  very  respectable  magnitude. 
The  population  is  mixed,  consisting  of  Parsees, 
Arabs,  and  Sowhelese.  Guzzeega  is  the  back  part 
of  the  town  to  the  north,  and  is  inhabited  by  Comoro 
Arabs,  natives  of  Madagascar,  Delagoans,  and  vari 
ous  classes  of  the  poor  population  of  Zanzibar. 
Hinclostan  is  about  midway  between  the  northern 
and  southern  extremities  of  the  town,  some  two  or 
three  hundred  yards  back  from  the  range  of  buildings 
on  the  beach,  and  is  by  far  the  most  respectable  part 
of  N'Googa.  Several  of  the  streets  are  occupied 
by  industrious  Hindoo  merchants,  or,  as  they  are 
called  in  Zanzibar  by  way  of  contradistinction  from 
the  Banyans,  Indmen.  They  have  numerous  shops, 
with  goods  and  wares  exposed  for  sale,  such  as 
Persian  rugs,  Madras  cloths,  combs,  beads,  queens- 
ware,  spoons,  knives,  coffee,  spices,  and  every  thing 
required  by  the  mass  of  the  citizens.  The  Banyans 
occupy  separate  streets,  and  are  large  dealers  in  gum 
copal,  ivory  teeth,  honey,  sugar,  and  other  articles  of 
commerce.  As  citizens,  they  are  very  industrious 
and  useful,  compared  with  other  Oriental  tribes. 

To  the  narrowness  of  the  streets,  and  the  vitiated 
state  of  the  atmosphere  from  the  want  of  a  free  cir 
culation,  is  to  be  attributed,  in  a  great  measure,  the 
frightful  extent  to  which  fevers  prevail  in  this  place. 
In  the  interior  of  the  island,  the  wonderful  density 
of  the  vegetation  is  a  prolific  source  of  disease. 

Zz 


362  FATAL    EFFECTS    OF    THE    CLIMATE. 

Take  the  climate  generally,  its  deleterious  effects  are 
much  more  fatal  than  the  few  white  residents  in  Zan 
zibar  will  admit.  Short  as  my  stay  has  been,  I  have 
witnessed  many  melancholy  proofs  of  its  dreadful 
fatality.  In  some  of  the  preceding  pages  I  have 
given  an  account  of  the  shipwreck  of  the  brig  Bogota, 

of  New  Bedford,  commanded  by  Captain  F , 

which  occurred  on  a  coral  reef  near  the  Island  of 
Monfia.  The  captain,  with  three  or  four  hands, 
brought  the  vessel,  with  its  damaged  cargo,  into  the 
port  of  Zanzibar.  Ten  of  the  crew,  under  the 
command  of  the  chief  mate,  abandoned  her  on  the 
reef,  and  made  their  escape,  with  the  whale  boats 
and  several  nautical  instruments,  to  the  coast.  It 
was  more  than  ten  days  after  the  arrival  of  the  Bo 
gota  before  we  heard  from  them,  and  the  natural  con 
clusion  was  that  they  had  all  been  massacred  by  the 
natives.  About  the  5th  of  June,  however,  a  dow 
came  in  containing  eight  of  the  crew  and  the  mate, 
one  of  their  number  having  died  on  the  coast. 
They  had  landed  in  several  places  near  Monfia,  but 
\vere  so  barbarously  treated  by  the  natives  that  they 
were  compelled  to  keep  off  shore.  In  this  way  they 
coasted  down  for  three  or  four  days,  till  they  arrived 
at  a  settlement  where  there  happened  to  be  two  Ban 
yans,  agents  for  Jeram  Bin  Seeva,  who  kindly  pro 
vided  them  with  a  dow  to  reach  Zanzibar.  Six  of 
them  were  prostrated  with  fever,  and  the  remaining 
two  were  quite  emaciated.  Within  a  week  or  two 
the  whole  of  the  Bogota's  crew — the  stout  and  hearty 


PREVALENCE    OF    FEVERS.  363 

as  well  as  the  sick — with  the  exception  of  one  who 
had  come  from  the  coast,  and  two  who  had  assisted 
in  getting  the  vessel  into  port,  were  buried  on  the  lit 
tle  island  in  the  bay !  Day  after  day  I  saw  these 
brave  fellows  struggle  in  the  agonies  of  death.  A 
gasp,  a  convulsive  shudder,  a  hurried  word  of  remem 
brance  to  those  at  home,  and  all  was  over — their 
race  was  run.  Their  bodies  were  sewn  up  in  a 
coarse  shroud  of  cotton  cloth,  and  carried  over  to 
the  receptable  for  foreigners,  where  they  were  hasti 
ly  thrown  into  a  sand-hole,  and  covered.  I  had 
seen  these  unfortunate  men  but  a  few  months  be 
fore  at  Johanna,  in  all  the  strength  and  vigor  of 
manhood. 

Scarcely  an  hour  in  the  day  passes  that  I  do  not 
hear  the  wild,  mournful  funeral  wail  of  the  natives. 
Of  the  white  residents  who  have  become  acclimated, 
about  two  thirds  are  laboring  under  slow  fevers, 
which  gradually  consume  their  vitals.  A  boat's  crew 
of  six  men,  who  deserted  from  a  whaler  at  Johanna, 
and  arrived  here  in  perfect  health  about  a  week  ago, 
are  prostrated  to  a  man.  The  Hindoos,  Banyans, 
and  Parsees,  though  accustomed  to  a  warm  climate, 
are  carried  off  in  great  numbers.  Out  of  fifty  who 
take  up  their  residence  in  Zanzibar,  not  more  than 
twenty  live  to  return  to  their  native  country ;  and 
yet  it  is  stated  by  writers  who  have  visited  the  isl 
and  that  it  is  by  no  means  an  unhealthy  place.  At 
this  time  the  S.W.  monsoon  prevails,  and  it  is  con 
sidered  the  healthiest  part  of  the  year.  I  certainly 


364  INSTANCE    OF    FATALITY    OF    CLIMATE. 

can  not  regard  a  climate  as  healthy,  when,  at  such  a 
favorable  season  of  the  year,  out  of  thirty  or  forty 
white  persons,  transient  visitors  and  residents,  more 
than  half  of  them  were  carried  off  by  fevers  within 
a  few  weeks,  and  not  more  than  eight  or  ten  free  of 
fever.  It  is  certain  death  to  a  white  person  to  sleep 
a  single  night  in  the  open  air,  or  even  under  the  shel 
ter  of  a  bamboo  house  at  one  of  the  shairibas,  or  in 
terior  plantations.  This  has  been  tested  by  sad  ex 
perience.  How  many  vessels  have  lost  the  best  por 
tion  of  their  crews  by  suffering  them  to  sleep  a  sin 
gle  night  on  shore  it  is  impossible  to  compute,  but 
the  number  is  enormous. 

A  melancholy  instance  of  the  fatality  of  the  cli 
mate  is  deeply  engraved  upon  my  memory.  An 
American  whaler  had  hauled  into  port  to  repair  her 
keel,  which  had  sustained  some  damage  on  a  coral 
reef  off  the  southern  point  of  Johanna.  She  was 
stranded  on  the  beach  opposite  the  English  consul's 
during  the  first  spring-tide,  and  the  men  were  obliged 
to  turn  out  in  the  night  to  work  upon  her.  One  of 
the  crew,  a  Scotchman,  was  kicked  by  the  captain 
for  not  obeying  the  call  with  sufficient  promptness. 
The  same  night,  or  the  next,  this  man,  with  two  of 
his  shipmates,  who  had  been  severely  treated  during 
the  voyage,  escaped  from  the  vessel,  and  concealed 
themselves  in  the  town.  In  a  few  days  the  two  last 
mentioned  returned  to  duty.  After  the  vessel  sailed 
the  Scotchman  came  from  his  hiding-place.  Day 
after  day  I  saw  him  wandering  about  the  streets  sick 


BRUTAL    TREATMENT   OF   A   SCOTCH    SAILOR.    365 

and  destitute,  without  the  power  to  relieve  him.  Far 
from  feeling  any  sympathy  for  him,  the  white  traders 
turned  him  from  their  doors  with  threats  of  imprison 
ment  in  the  fort.  The  natives,  fearing  the  displeas 
ure  of  the  sultan  if  they  did  not  follow  the  humane 
example  of  the  whites,  kicked  him  out  of  their  houses; 
and  for  more  than  two  weeks  he  had  neither  shelter 
nor  medical  aid,  nor,  as  far  as  I  could  learn,  any  food, 
except  what  he  could  beg  from  the  female  slaves 
when  their  masters  were  absent,  or  occasionally  a 

scrap  of  bread  from  Captain  F 's  men,  who  had 

been  wrecked,  and  were  themselves  in  great  distress. 
My  own  situation  was  so  precarious  that  it  was  only 
by  stealth  I  dared  to  speak  to  him ;  for  I  knew  the 
penalty  of  being  caught  aiding  or  befriending  a  de 
serter;  nor  was  it  in  my  power  to  relieve  his  distress, 
even  if  this  were  not  the  case.  Early  one  morning 
I  heard  that  a  man  was  found  dead  on  the  beach, 
and  that  he  still  lay  there.  I  went  down,  and  was 
shocked  to  see  the  body  of  the  poor  Scotchman 
stretched  upon  the  sand,  with  his  face  down,  and  his 
eyes  and  nostrils  covered  with  sand.  A  more  heart 
rending  sight  I  never  witnessed.  Such  a  death  !  far 
away  from  his  native  land,  with  no  kind  mother's 
hand  to  press  his  fevered  brow,  nor  sister  to  pass  the 
cup  to  his  burning  lips  ;  no  brother  to  whisper  words 
of  encouragement ;  no 

"  Silent  tears  to  weep, 

And  patient  smiles  to  wear  through  suffering's  hours, 
And  sumless  riches  from  affection's  deep," 


366       MOHAMMEDAN    ESTIMATE    OF    CHRISTIANS. 

to  rob  death  of  its  horrors,  and  soothe  his  last  hours. 
The  tide  had  swept  up  partially  over  him,  and  his 
light  hair  was  matted  with  sea-weeds  and  water. 
His  muscles  were  frightfully  distorted,  as  if  in  all  the 
agonies  of  a  miserable  death.  A  crowd  of  natives 
stood  around  the  body,  jeering  at  the  barbarity  of 
Christians.  I  did  not  understand  sufficient  of  the 
language  to  gather  the  meaning  of  all  they  said;  but 
Mr.  Fabeus,  the  consul's  clerk,  kindly  acted  as  inter 
preter,  and  from  him  I  learned  that  the  general  in 
quiry  was :  "  Is  this  the  way  Christians  do  in  your 
country  1  When  a  man  does  wrong,  do  they  suffer 
him  to  die  in  the  streets  1  Do  they  drive  him  from 
their  own  doors  to  beg  from  people  of  another  caste  ? 
And  when  he  dies,  do  they  pitch  him  into  the  sand, 
as  the  white  people  do  here,  and  say  no  prayer  over 
him  1  Better  be  Mohammedan  than  Christian,  if 
Christians  do  so.  You  say  yours  is  the  only  good 
and  true  religion.  Where  is  the  good  ?  We  see  all 
bad.  Mohammed  teaches  us  to  be  good  to  other 
men  of  our  caste ;  you  do  evil.  Better  have  no  re 
ligion  at  all,  if  it  teach  you  to  do  evil.  First  you 
treat  men  of  your  own  caste  like  dogs,  let  them  die 
like  dogs,  and  then  bury  them  like  dogs.  When  you 
die,  where,  will  you  go  ?"  This  was  unanswerable. 
It  is  perfectly  useless  to  tell  Mohammedans  that  in 
America  these  disgraceful  proceedings  are  not  quite 
so  common.  They  naturally  believe  what  they  see, 
and  form  their  opinions  from  it,  in  preference  to  giv 
ing  credence  to  what,  they  are  told. 


ROBBING    THE    DEAD.  367 

The  unfortunate  sailor,  after  such  a  miserable 
death,  might  at  least  have  been  decently  buried ;  for 
it  is  not  an  uncommon  feature  in  civilization  to  be 
very  kind  when  it  is  too  late  to  benefit  the  object. 
But  how  was  this  poor  fellow  buried  1  After  a  com 
fortable  breakfast,  the  whites  tumbled  him  into  a 
brig's  launch,  and  had  him  taken  over  to  a  little  isl 
and  in  the  bay  by  a  set  of  half-naked  slaves,  with 
out  a  soul  to  see  him  properly  laid  in  the  ground ; 
and  God  knows  whether  they  buried  him  at  all  or 
not.  Of  one  thing  I  am  certain,  and  can  prove  it  by 
the  captain  who  lent  the  launch,  that  they  robbed  the 
body  of  the  few  rags  that  covered  it  I  If  this  be  in 
troducing  civilization  into  savage  lands,  I  trust  I 
shall  remain  uncivilized  all  the  days  of  my  life  ;  for  I 
protest  against  being  considered  one  of  that  class 
who  could,  while  professing  Christianity,  shamefully 
neglect  a  fellow-creature  while  living,  and  treat  him 
as  a  brute  when  dead. 

With  sickness  and  death  staring  me  in  the  face 
wherever  I  went,  and  the  consciousness  of  having  a 
constitution  less  strong  than  any  of  those  whom  I 
had  seen  carried  off  by  fever,  it  was  not  strange  that 
I  should  feel  depressed  in  mind.  The  fate  of  those 
who  had  fallen  victims  to  this  dreadful  disease ;  the 
prospect  of  being  the  next  to  be  buried  on  a  desert 
island, *  ten  thousand  miles  from  home,  a  stranger, 

*  The  Mohammedans  will  not  suffer  white  people  to  be  buried  on 
the  Island  of  Zanzibar.  All  who  die  in  port  are  carried  over  to  a  lit 
tle  sand  island  in  the  bay. 


368 


GLOOMY    PROSPECTS. 


and  uncared  for,  threw  a  gloom  over  my  spirits  that 
at  times  bordered  on  despair. 

The  fact  that  the  entire  crew  of  the  Bogota,  the 
brig  which  had  been  wrecked  near  Monfia,  and  the 
three  men  who  had  deserted  from  the  Styx,  the  boat's 
crew  from  Johanna,  and  all  who  had  been  more  than 
two  weeks  ashore,  had  been  stricken  down  with  the 
fever,  left  me  but  little  hope  of  escape ;  and  I  knew 
too  well  the  horrors  of  death  in  a  place  where  a  man 
who  has  had  the  misfortune  to  be  a  common  sea 
farer  is  considered  no  better,  living  or  dead,  than  a 
dog! 

There  are  few  means  of  beguiling  one's  time  in 
Zanzibar.  From  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning  till 
four  or  five  in  the  evening  the  heat  of  the  sun  is  in 
tense.  Exposure  to  its  rays  is  fatal.  Consequently, 
all  that  time  must  be  spent  in  the  house.  Those 
ceremonies  and  peculiarities  of  character  and  cos 
tume,  which  at  first  interest  a  stranger,  soon  become 
monotonous.  The  streets  are  too  narrow  and  dirty 
to  be  pleasant  places  of  resort ;  the  bazar  is  generally 
crowded  with  Sowhelian  slaves  and  their  sluggish 
Arab  masters,  trading,  quarreling,  or  gambling ;  the 
beach,  from  Bunganee  to  Melinda,  is  a  place  of  pub 
lic  deposit  for  all  the  filth  of  the  tow7n,  and  is  often 
strewn  with  the  dead  bodies  of  slaves  in  the  last  stage 
of  corruption.  Go  where  you  will  within  the  limits 
of  the  town,  and  a  sickening  stench  from  decayed 
vegetable  and  animal  matter,  rendered  peculiarly  of 
fensive  from  the  intense  heat  of  the  climate,  fills  the 


DISGUSTING    SIGHTS.  369 

atmosphere.  The  gaunt  forms  of  men  rotting  with 
fever,  leprosy,  and  ulcers,  are  seen  staggering  from 
street  to  street,  begging  a  morsel  of  food  to  prolong 
their  sufferings;  slaves  crawling  about  on  their  knees 
and  hands,  in  the  condition,  and  bearing  the  appear 
ance,  of  brutes ;  half-naked  skeletons  tottering  about 
with  sunken  eyes,  maimed  by  the  cruelty  of  their 
owners,  and  unsightly  from  disease. 

The  most  disgusting  part  of  the  town  is  Banyan- 
street,  where  the  Banyans  chiefly  reside.  From  day 
light  in  the  morning  till  breakfast-time  the  Banyans 
may  be  seen  squatted  down  at  their  doors,  with  their 
long,  black  pigtails  streaming  over  their  shoulders, 
and  their  clothes  wrapped  around  them  in  a  slovenly 
manner,  busily  engaged  brushing  their  teeth  with 
pieces  of  wood,  which  they  dip  in  their  snuffboxes, 
and  make  use  of  as  brushes.  The  whole  street  is  a 
complete  puddle  of  saliva,  and,  of  course,  is  very  of 
fensive.  As  there  are  no  canoes  convenient,  it  be 
hoves  the  passer-by  to  keep  in  soundings,  or,  like  a 
fly  in  a  glue-pot,  he  may  find  swimming  rather  a  vio 
lent  exercise  in  so  substantial  an  element.  Although 
remarkably  clean  in  their  persons,  the  Banyans  are 
an  extremely  disgusting  people  in  some  of  their  cus 
toms. 

No  doubt  the  indolent  habits  of  the  natives,  their 
filthiness  of  person,  their  sensual  indulgences,  and 
the  piles  of  decayed  vegetable  matter  in  the  streets, 
tend  as  much  to  the  production  of  disease  as  the 
climate.  That  disease  prevails,  however,  and  to  a 

A  A  A 


370         EFFECTS    OF    CLIMATE    ON    FOREIGNERS. 

fearful  extent,  admits  of  no  question ;  but  from  the 
very  nature  of  the  country,  low,  flat,  abounding  in 
marshes,  within  a  few  leagues  of  the  deadly  coast  of 
Africa,  and  under  a  scorching  tropical  sun,  it  could 
not  be  otherwise  than  unhealthy. 

Foreigners  have  resided  at  Zanzibar  for  years 
without  experiencing  much  apparent  inconvenience, 
after  becoming  acclimated  ;  yet  this  has  been  rather 
the  result  of  increased  care  than  the  good  effects  of 
the  climate.  Every  white  person  with  whom  I  be 
came  acquainted  while  there  had  suffered  attacks  of 
the  fever,  which  required  much  care,  and  rendered 
him  more  susceptible  of  fevers,  from  exposure  to  the 
sun,  or  from  cold,  than  he  originally  was.  It  is  a 
singular  fact,  that  I  never  knew  a  man  who  would 
acknowledge  a  sickly  climate  affected  Ms  constitu 
tion,  though  his  sunken  eye  and  sallow  complexion 
proved  the  presence  of  disease.  Every  man  seems 
to  consider  himself,  by  a  special  law  of  nature,  ex 
empt  from  t-he-  ills  of  the  flesh  which  befall  his  fellow- 
creatures.  The  few  who  reside  at  Zanzibar  will  not 
allow  that  the  climate  is  at  all  deleterious,  but  attrib 
ute  the  fatality  attending  those  who  visit  the  island 
entirely  to  imprudence.  That  in  many,  perhaps  in 
most  cases,  imprudence  is  the  chief  cause  of  disease, 
can  not  be  denied.  Imprudence,  generally  the  re 
sult  of  ignorance  of  the  climate,  can  hardly  be  attrib 
uted  to  those  who  have  resided  there  any  length  of 
time  and  experienced  its  baneful  effects ;  and  I  think 
the  assertion,  in  regard  to  its  healthiness,  is  sufficient- 


LOATHSOME  CONDITION  OF  THE  FORT.    371 

\y  contradicted  by  their  pallid  faces  and  broken  con 
stitutions. 

One  of  the  most  inhuman  practices  that  ever  fell 
under  my  observation  is  that  of  imprisoning  sailors 
in  the  fort.  In  such  a  climate  as  that  of  Zanzibar 
it  is  positive  murder,  and  that,  too,  of  the  most  cruel 
and  nefarious  character.  The  external  appearance 
of  the  fort  is  that  of  a  ruin,  patched  up  by  unskillful 
architects.  Like  nearly  all  the  buildings  in  Zanzi 
bar,  its  prominent  characteristic  is  a  loathsome  smell. 
The  walls  are  actually  piles  of  filth,  being  thoroughly 
saturated  with  the  drawings  of  dirt-buckets  from  the 
port-holes  and  windows.  Unsightly  as  it  is  exter 
nally,  the  interior  is  still  more  disgusting.  In  the 
large  square,  formed  by  the  four  great  walls  and  the 
towers  at  each  corner,  are  a  few  miserable  sheds,  built 
of  bamboo,  and  thatched  with  leaves  of  the  cocoa- 
nut  tree.  These  sheds  emit  an  insufferable  smell 
from  their  extreme  squalor  and  filth,  and  abound  with 
vermin.  The  lazy  sentinels,  who  have  charge  of 
the  castle,  never  think  of  cleansing  their  own  disgust 
ing  persons,  much  less  the  place  they  lie  in.  There 
is  no  other  shelter  for  prisoners  than  these  miserable 
sheds,  and  they  are  so  poorly  constructed  as  to  ad 
mit  the  night-dews,  which  are  even  more  fatal  than 
rains  or  the  burning  rays  of  the  sun.  As  a  protec 
tion  against  the  inclemency  of  the  weather,  they 
amount  to  nothing  at  all.  With  nothing  to  keep  the 
inmates  from  the  damp  earth,  not  a  single  article  of 
furniture  being  allowed  them,  and  no  comfort  what- 


372  INHUMAN    TREATMENT    OF    SAILORS. 

ever  to  preserve  health,  these  sheds  answer  but  one 
purpose — to  hurry  the  unfortunate  wretch  who  is 
immured  in  them  out  of  existence.  Dead  men  oc 
casion  but  little  trouble.  It  is  a  sure  and  expeditious 
way  to  get  rid  of  sailors,  slaves,  and  others  of  that 
class,  to  immure  them  in  his  highness's  castle.  A 
week  will  do  for  a  man  of  ordinary  constitution — 
tougher  ones  require  two  or  three.  Some,  in  a 
healthy  season,  have  stood  it  a  month ;  but  these 
were  mutinous  sailors,  who  had  a  great  deal  of  pre 
sumption,  and  deserved  severe  punishment  for  not  dy 
ing  immediately,  according  to  the  established  rules 
of  the  place,  as  all  docile  and  well-disposed  sailors 
should  do.  It  is  a  piece  of  unpardonable  audacity 
for  a  sailor  to  hold  out  a  month.  Prisoners  of  this 
class  are  not  aware  of  the  trouble  they  give  their  su 
perior  authorities  by  such  conduct.  I  would  suggest, 
as  an  improvement  to  the  accommodations  of  the 
fort,  the  propriety  of  erecting  a  whipping-post  in  the 
middle  of  the  square.  Sailors  who  have  the  pre 
sumption  to  live  after  the  usual  time  allotted  to  them 
could  then  be  brought  to  a  due  sense  of  their  ingrat 
itude  and  moral  depravity.  A  sound  flogging  every 
morning  for  a  week  would  no  doubt  effect  the  main 
object  of  their  imprisonment — the  gratification  of 
arbitrary  power,  and  the  glorious  pleasures  of  triumph 
over  stupidity  and  obstinacy.  There  are  some  fla 
grant  instances  of  this  moral  depravity,  on  the  part 
of  sailors,  recorded  in  the  log-books  of  vessels  which 
have  visited  Zanzibar.  I  shall  only  mention  one,  for 


"BENEVOLENCE"  OF  WHALING  CAPTAINS.     373 

I  dislike  exceedingly  to  impugn  the  characteristic 
"  benevolence"  of  whaling  captains. 

In  1838  (if  I  am  not  mistaken),  a  whaler  came 

into  port  under  the  command  of  Captain  N , 

with  the  crew  in  a  mutinous  state.  The  cause,  as  I 
learned  it,  was  this :  During  the  voyage  the  men 
had  taken  up  all  that  was  due  to  them  in  slops,  at 
the  usual  exorbitant  prices.  The  consequence  was, 
when  there  should  have  been  a  handsome  sum  com 
ing  to  them  for  their  labor,  they  were  either  in  debt 
or  had  nothing.  This  naturally  caused  them  to  take 
less  interest  in  the  success  of  the  voyage  than  they 
would  have  taken  had  their  earnings  been  withheld 
till  the  proper  time,  and  what  clothing  they  actually 
needed  sold  them  at  an  honest  price.  The  captain 
was  a  drunkard,  quarreled  with  his  officers,  and 
made  a  practice  of  using  profane  language  to  the 
men,  and  flogging  them  without  the  slightest  justifi 
cation.  This  created  discontent.  When  they  ar 
rived  at  Zanzibar,  nine  of  them  refused  duty,  and 
complained  of  the  brutal  manner  in  which  they  had 
been  treated.  Consuls  seem  to  consider  that  there 
is  but  one  course  for  them  to  pursue  in  cases  of  this 
kind — to  have  a  trial,  hear  all  the  captain  says,  turn 
a  deaf  ear  to  all  complaints  from  the  men,  and  put 
them  in  prison.  This  may  be  the  law — I  will  not 

dispute  it.     Captain  N 's  men  were  sent  in  irons 

to  his  highness's  fort,  and  the  vessel  proceeded  on  a 
short  cruise.  In  a  few  weeks  she  returned.  Mean 
time,  several  of  the  men,  who  doubtless  felt  too  grate- 


374  MELANCHOLY    FATE    OF    PRISONERS. 

ful  for  the  treatment  they  had  received  to  violate  the 
established  laws  of  nature,  were  sufficiently  sensible 
of  their  obligations  to  die  in  great  agony  of  body 
and  distress  of  mind.  The  others  took  the  fever. 
Whether  they  eventually  recovered  or  not,  I  was  un 
able  to  learn.  However,  they  were  taken  on  duty 
again,  to  enter  upon  another  hard  year's  cruise,  for 
the  benefit  of  their  owners :  a  piece  of  magnanimity 
unparalleled  in  the  archives  of  this  fort.  I  do  not 
adduce  this  to  reflect  upon  the  conduct  of  Captain 
N .  Every  consul  and  ship-owner  in  the  coun 
try  will  admit  that  he  did  his  duty.  The  crew  re 
fused  duty  ;  they  were  tried,  found  guilty,  and  put  in 
prison.  A  number  of  them  happened  to  die.  Whose 
fault  was  it  ?  The  fault  of  the  fort  and  the  climate, 
of  course !  I  merely  relate  it  as  a  singular  and  strik 
ing  instance  of  stubbornness  on  the  part  of  sailors. 

I  have  it  from  the  best  authority  that  two  thirds 
of  the  white  men  imprisoned  in  this  fort  fall  victims 
to  the  fever.  Whether  the  offenses  of  which  they 
are  presumed  to  be  guilty  are  in  all  cases  criminal 
or  not,  or  whether  the  offenders  deserve  death  for 
every  breach  of  duty,  it  is  not  my  province  to  deter 
mine  ;  but  I  must  be  permitted  to  say,  I  am  not 
aware  of  any  law,  English  or  American,  which  pro 
vides  that  seamen  shall,  for  offenses  of  any  kind  what 
ever,  be  immured  in  a  prison  where  death  is  inevita 
ble.  As  I  am  but  little  versed  in  law,  however,  it 
may  be  that,  upon  certain  legal  principles  unknown 
to  me,  this  particular  species  of  murder  is  justifiable. 


A    HUMANE    SUGGESTION.  375 

If  so,  I  devoutly  trqst  that,  as  Christianity  progresses 
in  our  country — as  the  march  of  improvement  teach 
es  us  expedition,  our  government  will  see  fit,  in  its 
magnanimity,  to  transmute  the  punishment  for  all 
these  petty  infringements  of  marine  law  to  immedi 
ate  death.  By  practicing  at  rifle-shooting,  our  agents 
or  consuls  would  soon  become  expert  enough  to 
shoot  sailors  down  scientifically  the  moment  one  of 
these  imposing  trials  is  over.  This  will  save  a  vast 
deal  of  vexation  and  trouble  on  their  part,  and  be 
much  more  humane  than  the  present  plan  of  subject 
ing  the  poor  wretches  to  death  by  torture.  I  would 
not  be  understood  as  casting  reflections  upon  either 
the  British  or  American  consul  now  at  Zanzibar. 
Injustice  to  our  consul,  Mr.  Waters,  I  should  state 
that  he  invariably  represents  to  seamen  the  condition 
of  the  fort,  when  it  devolves  upon  him  to  imprison 
them,  and  urges  them  to  return  to  duty.*  The  laws 
of  their  country,  or  the  customary  rules  in  foreign 
countries,  are  conceived  imperatively  to  compel  them 
to  make  use  of  the  fort.  It  is  the  only  prison  the 
place  at  present  affords,  and  it  is,  no  doubt,  in  their 
conception  of  their  duty  that  this  detestable  practice 

*  I  should  be  sorry  to  be  understood  as  imputing  to  the  American 
consul  dereliction  of  duty  toward  our  seamen.  He  has  certain  pow 
ers  vested  in  him  as  an  agent  of  the  government,  and  can  not  trans 
cend  them.  Mr.  Waters,  the  present  incumbent,  very  humanely 
assisted  me  in  my  endeavors  to  procure  my  discharge  from  the  Styx, 
and,  during  my  sojourn  on  the  island,  treated  me  with  great  kindness 
and  hospitality.  My  strictures  are  intended  to  apply  to  the  system, 
not  to  the  persons. 


376  EVILS    OF   THE    .CONSULAR    SYSTEM. 

is  pursued.  But  what  law  can  require  or  justify  in 
humanity  so  disgraceful,  crime  so  foul,  barbarity  so 
fiendish  ?  I  ask  for  information.  I  do  not  dispute 
the  existence  of  such  a  law.  I  have  been  told  the 
duties  of  consuls  are  strictly  defined  in  this  particu 
lar  ;  that  they  do  not  transcend  them  in  punishing 
mutinous  seamen  by  imprisoning  them  in  the  best 
prison  the  place  affords.  Vessels  of  war,  from  Eng 
land  and  America,  have  visited  Zanzibar.  Its  re 
sources  have  been  described — its  advantages  as  a 
place  of  commercial  resort  descanted  upon.  If,  then, 
with  the  knowledge  of  such  an  evil,  this  system  of 
murder  is  officially  sanctioned,  humanity  should 
prompt  the  ruling  power  to  vest  in  its  representative, 
or  agent,  the  privilege  of  shortening,  in  any  conven 
ient  manner,  the  cruel  tortures  to  which  these  pris 
oners  are  now  subjected.  Let  it  not  be  said,  at  this 
enlightened  period,  that  a  new  inquisition  has  sprung 
up.  Let  it  not  be  said,  that  while  we  are  sending 
out  missionaries  to  civilize  barbarous  nations,  we  are 
exhibiting  a  most  detestable  barbarism  ourselves. 
The  remark  of  Eymerie,  the  Dominican,  that  it  is  a 
great  consolation  to  suffer  justly  for  a  crime,  is  very 
probably  true.  Apply  it  to  the  present  case.  Would 
it  not  be  rather  too  late  for  a  man  to  call  upon  his 
country,  after  dying  of  a  fever,  to  state  that  his  ac 
commodations  were  bad  while  in  prison,  and  that, 
by  some  slight  error  of  judgment  as  to  the  culpable 
party,  he  had  suffered  ^justly  1  I  am  inclined  to 
think  redress  would  avail  him  but  little  then.  The 


A    GOOD    PLAN    NOT    EXECUTED.  377 

punishment  of  death,  in  my  opinion,  should  not  be 
left  at  the  discretion  of  captains  or  consuls.  Even 
where  the  life  at  stake  is  only  that  of  a  sailor,  he 
ought,  according  to  the  principles  of  our  Constitu 
tion,  to  be  entitled  to  equal  privileges  with  the  lands 
man. 

The  sultan,  in  the  plenitude  of  his  generosity  to 
ward  America  and  England,  had  a  fine  house  built 
for  the  accommodation  of  mariners.  It  was  to  be 
furnished  in  the  European  style,  and  to  answer  all 
the  purposes  of  a  sailor's  home.  His  highness  in 
tended  having  an  American  physician  attached  to 
the  establishment,  to  take  charge  of  the  sick  and  dis 
abled,  at  his  own  expense.  The  whole  design  was 
excellent ;  nothing  could  be  better ;  but  his  highness 
has  omitted  one  important  feature  in  the  plan — to 
put  it  in  execution.  One  of  his  sons,  Syed  Hallal, 
occupies  the  house.  Whether  it  will  ever  be  made 
use  of  as  a  hospital  or  sailor's  home  it  is  impossible 
to  say. 

In  most  parts  of  the  world  where  consuls  are  sta 
tioned,  accommodations  are  provided  for  the  sick 
and  destitute  mariners  who  are  oast  upon  their  hands. 
Here  the  greatest  misfortune  a  shipwrecked  mariner 
can  sustain  is  to  be  rescued  from  the  perils  of  the 
sea.  A  fate  far  less  preferable  awraits  him.  There 
are  no  accommodations  fit  for  a  white  man  to  be 
had.  He  must,  in  many  instances,  find  such  shelter 
as  an  old  store-house,  or  such  lodgings  as  the  natives 
may  feel  disposed  to  let  him  have.  Indifferent  lodg- 

B  BB 


378  HARDSHIPS    OF    THE    SAILOR. 

ings,  in  such  a  climate,  are  the  most  productive  causes 
of  fever.  It  is  no  wonder  that  disease  soon  fastens 
upon  him.  What  is  his  condition  then  1  There  is 
no  hospital  where  he  can  find  rest  and  care ;  no 
physician  in  the  place ;  no  medicine  to  be  had,  un 
less  some  of  his  kind  countrymen  choose  to  spare 
him  a  little ;  and,  above  all,  he  is  destitute  of  those 
necessaries,  and  that  care  and  attention  which  tend 
to  promote  recovery  as  much  as  medicine  or  profes 
sional  skill.  The  result  is,  that,  in  perhaps  five  cases 
out  of  six,  these  shipwrecked  and  distressed  mariners, 
who,  by  misfortune,  are  cast  ashore  on  the  Island  of 
Zanzibar,  fall  viptims  to  disease. 

I  have  seen  so  much  barbarity  toward  the  sick 
here ;  so  brutal  a  disregard  for  human  life  ;  so  much 
selfishness  and  cupidity,  that  my  blood  runs  cold  to 
think  of  the  number  of  valuable  lives  that  have  been 
willfully  and  purposely  sacrificed  to  avoid  trouble  and 
expense.  Great  God  !  are  such  evils  to  be  counte 
nanced  by  American  freemen  !  Must  men  who,  from 
choice  or  necessity,  follow  sea-faring  for  a  livelihood, 
who  minister  to  all  our  luxuries  and  comforts  at  home 
by  their  daring  intrepidity,  be  treated  like  dumb 
brutes  ?  Must  a  poor  sailor,  who  has  had  the  mis 
fortune  to  be  cast  ashore,  be  browbeat,  scorned,  and 
neglected  when  sickness  and  destitution  come  upon 
him,  and  for  no  other  reason  than  because  he  is  a 
sailor,  who  can  not  make  any  direct  return  for  the 
trouble  and  expense  ?  Americans !  will  you  suffer 
this  1  I  have  pointed  out  the  evil;  apply  the  remedy. 


DIRECTIONS  FOR    PRESERVING    HEALTH.         379 

For  the  benefit  of  seamen,  I  shall  say  a  word  or 
two  on  the  best  means  of  avoiding  fevers  and  other 
diseases  which  prevail  on  the  island. 

Previous  to  entering  port,  the  stomach  should  be 
cleansed  by  an  emetic,  and  the  blood  cooled  by  some 
gentle  aperient,  such  as  salts.  Undue  exposure  to 
the  sun  is  fatal.  Too  much  sleep  in  this  climate 
enervates  and  relaxes  the  muscular  system,  and  ren 
ders  the  stomach  more  susceptible  of  fevers.  Seven 
hours  out  of  the  twenty-four  are  amply  sufficient. 
All  exciting  liquors  and  strong  food  should  be  avoid 
ed.  The  French  are  less  subject  to  fevers  in  this 
climate  than  the  Americans  or  English,  because  they 
make  use  of  lighter  food,  and  their  mode  of  cooking 
is  better  adapted  to  health.  In  our  vessels,  a  large 
quantity  of  grease  is  used  in  almost  every  mess  for 
the  men.  This  is  calculated  to  promote  bile,  and  as 
sist  in  the  production  of  fever.  Horsburgh  cautions 
mariners  against  drinking  the  water  fresh  from  the 
Motoney,  and  recommends  them  to  make  use  of  that 
which  has  been  in  the  casks  on  board  the  ship  for 
some  time  in  preference  to  any  other.  I  have  known  a 
very  fatal  form  of  dysentery  to  be  brought  on  by  using 
this  water.  The  stream  is  supplied,  in  a  great  meas 
ure,  by  the  heavy  dews  in  the  interior  of  the  island. 
These  dews  are  formed  by  noxious  exhalations  from 
vegetable  matter,  and  contain  a  large  amount  of  poi 
son.  The  poisonous  particles  settle  down  or  adhere 
to  the  cask,  after  letting  the  water  stand  a  sufficient 
length  of  time,  which  accounts  for  the  fact  that  it 
becomes  quite  wholesome  in  a  few  weeks. 


380        DIRECTIONS    FOR    PRESERVING    HEALTH. 

Curry,  a  favorite  article  of  food  with  the  Arabs, 
is  considered  by  physicians  very  wholesome,  and 
when  properly  prepared  with  chicken,  or  fowl  of  any 
kind,  it  is  an  extremely  palatable  dish.  When  pre 
pared  for  use  it  resembles  mustard,  and  has  a  pungent 
taste,  without  the  exciting  properties  of  that  seed.  It 
is  most  frequently  used  with  rice.  From  my  own 
experience,  I  regard  it  as  the  best  food  that  can  be 
used,  being  light,  nutritious,  and  easily  digested. 

Fruits  should  be  very  sparingly  eaten.  In  a  tropi 
cal  climate,  there  is  perhaps  no  cause  of  fever  so  pro 
ductive  as  an  imprudent  indulgence  in  this  article 
of  food.  The  cheapness  and  abundance  of  the  most 
delicious  tropical  fruits  are  almost  irresistible  tempta 
tions  to  the  sea-farer  who  for  months  has  whetted 
his  appetite  on  hard  biscuit  and  salt  junk ;  but  it 
should  be  borne  in  mind  that  sickness  and  death  are 
too  often  the  penalties  of  indulgence.  The  pine 
apple  is  the  most  dangerous  of  all  tropical  fruits.  I 
have  known  two  or  three  cases  in  which  valuable 
lives  were  lost  by  even  a  moderate  use  of  the  pine 
apple,  in  consequence  of  drinking  the  juice  of  cocoa- 
nut  after  it;  and  several  cases  of  death  caused  by 
the  pine-apple  alone.  It  possesses  dangerous  chem 
ical  properties,  which,  by  contact  with  certain  acids 
in  the  stomach,  produce  the  most  baneful  results.  A 
mixture  of  the  pine-apple  with  the  milk  of  the  cocoa- 
nut  is  almost  invariably  fatal.  This  fact  is  so  little 
known,  that  in  many  cases  death  seizes  the  victim 
without  any  apparent  cause.  The  cocoa-nut  is  also 


DIRECTIONS    FOR    PRESERVING    HEALTH.         381 

a  fruit  that  should  be  avoided.  Travelers  have  en 
thusiastically  described  it  as  a  most  wholesome  and 
nutritious  fruit ;  but  this  is  fiction.  It  is  not  only  in 
digestible,  but,  from  its  strong,  oily  properties,  pecul 
iarly  calculated  to  vitiate  the  blood  and  promote  fe 
vers.  The  chief  cause  of  the  disgusting  cutaneous 
eruptions,  ulcers,  cancers,  sores,  &c.,  so  prevalent 
among  the  natives,  is  the  free  use  which  they  make 
of  the  cocoa-nut.  Plantains  and  bananas,  when 
eaten  sparingly,  are  easily  digested,  and  may  be  used 
without  any  serious  consequences.  Undue  indul 
gence  in  them,  however,  is  apt  to  produce  acidity  in 
the  stomach,  dysentery,  and  fevers.  Oranges  are 
less  objectionable  than  any  of  the  tropical  fruits  yet 
mentioned.  Care  should  be  taken  to  avoid  eating 
the  small  species  called  the  China  orange.  It  is  very 
unwholesome.  The  danger  is  perhaps  more  in  the 
quantity  of  oranges  eaten  than  the  quality.  Cha- 
lottes,  melons,  guavas,  and  mangoes  are  not  unwhole 
some  when  prudently  eaten,  but,  as  a  general  rule,  it 
is  better  to  avoid  them  entirely  than  run  the  risk  of 
being  tempted  to  over-indulgence.  The  same  rule 
may  be  applied  to  all  tropical  fruits.  In  the  United 
States,  where  these  fruits  are  dear,  and  are  only  eaten 
in  small  quantities,  they  seldom  produce  fatal  conse 
quences  ;  but  here  they  are  within  reach  of  all,  and 
in  the  greatest  abundance,  and,  being  peculiarly  deli 
cious  from  their  freshness,  are  eaten  with  less  mod 
eration.  Besides,  many  articles  of  food  may  be 
made  use  of  in  a  temperate  climate  with  impunity, 


382        DIRECTIONS    FOR    PRESERVING    HEALTH. 

which  are  almost  absolute  poison  in  a  very  warm 
climate.  Febrile  action  is  promoted  by  the  heat, 
which  enervates,  and  renders  the  body  more  suscepti 
ble  of  disease.  The  digestive  powers  are  less  vigor 
ous,  and  the  muscular  system  relaxed.  Disease  is 
more  easily  engendered.  It  would  be  better,  there 
fore,  to  avoid  fruit  of  every  kind,  where  there  is  any 
fear  of  yielding  to  over-indulgence. 

Cassada,  a  vegetable  much  esteemed  by  the  Bra 
zilians,  who  use  it  very  frequently  for  bread,  is  pro 
duced  in  great  abundance  on  the  Island  of  Zanzibar. 
When  well  boiled,  it  is  glutinous,  and  in  taste  some 
what  resembles  the  potato.  It  is  generally  made  use 
of  as  a  substitute  for  potatoes.  It  is  extremely  nu 
tritious,  and  forms  a  valuable  addition  to  a  ship's 
recruit.  The  yam,  above  all  vegetables  produc 
ed  on  the  island,  should  have  the  preference  as  a 
wholesome  article  of  food.  It  is  far  preferable  to 
the  sweet  potato,  the  only  species  of  potato  produced 
on  the  island.  I  do  not  consider  the  latter  very 
wholesome.  The  yam,  however,  need  not  be  feared. 
It  is  light,  porous,  and  nutritious,  and  I  have  never 
known  it  to  occasion  sickness.  Rice  is  too  well 
known  to  need  recommendation.  Its  excellent  qual 
ities  are  so  well  appreciated  by  the  white  residents 
at  Zanzibar,  that  they  use  it  almost  exclusively. 
The  natives  make  a  sort  of  bread  by  mixing  rice 
and  cocoa-nut,  but  it  is  very  heavy  and  indigestible. 

It  is  necessary  in  all  climates,  and  indispensably 
so  between  the  tropics,  for  the  preservation  of  health, 


DIRECTIONS  FOR  PRESERVING  HEALTH.    383 

to  keep  the  skin  clean,  so  that  the  refuse  matter  may 
have  a  free  passage  through  the  pores.  Bathing, 
therefore,  can  not  be  too  strongly  recommended. 
Salt  water  is  preferable  to  fresh.  The  crews  of  ves 
sels  should  avoid  bathing  too  far  from  the  beach,  as 
the  bay  abounds  in  sharks.  It  is  injurious  to  bathe 
in  the  heat  of  the  day. 

By  attention  to  these  directions,  which  I  give 
from  experience,  much  sickness  may  be  avoided. 
While  ships'  crews  were  dying  around  me  every  day, 
I  escaped  a  day's  sickness  by  prudence  in  the  use 
of  fruit,  light  diet,  moderate  exercise,  and  frequent 
immersions  in  water.  I  will  not  guaranty  exemption 
from  sickness  in  every  case.  The  climate,  notwith 
standing  every  precaution,  affects  the  health  unfavor 
ably  in  all  cases  by  producing  languor,  depression  of 
mind,  and  general  debility.  These  effects  are  felt,  in 
a  greater  or  less  degree,  by  all  who  visit  the  island 
and  spend  any  considerable  length  of  time  there. 
But  the  fatal  fevers  may,  in  many  instances,  be 
avoided  by  strict  attention  to  cleanliness  and  diet. 

The  night  dews  contain  large  quantities  of  pois 
onous  matter  exhaled  from  vegetables,  which,  either 
absorbed  by  the  skin,  or  taken  into  the  lungs,  mate 
rially  affect  the  health,  and  exposure  to  them  for  a 
single  night  is  absolutely  fatal.  It  would  therefore 
be  advisable,  not  only  to  avoid  staying  out  later  than 
eight  o'clock,  but  to  keep  within  the  limits  of  the 
town  even  till  that  hour,  the  dew  being  lighter  and 
less  injurious  where  there  are  few  shrubs  or  trees 


384  SUPERSTITIONS. 

than  where  vegetation  is  dense.  Those  who  sleep 
on  board  vessels  out  in  the  bay  are  less  subject  to 
fevers  than  those  who  sleep  ashore,  owing  to  the  fact 
that  the  dews  are  not  so  heavy,  and  that  the  plank 
decks  are  less  damp  than  the  earth,  and  do  not  emit 
poisonous  exhalations.  When  it  is  necessary  to 
sleep  ashore,  a  stone  house,  wrell  roofed,  and  with  a 
second  story,  should  be  chosen  in  preference  to  a 
bamboo  hut. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Superstitions  of  the  Inhabitants. — Hassan  and  the  Devil. — Jeram  Bin 
Seva's  Horror  of  Mesmerism. — The  big  Snake. — Funeral  Cere 
monies  of  the  Sowhelians. — A  Mohammedan's  Aversion  to  Pork. 
— Death  of  a  Portuguese  Boy. — Character  of  the  Arabs. — A  Bri 
dal  Ceremony.  —  Marriage  Law.  —  Sowhelian  Dances.  —  The 
Coolies. — Jungle  Dogs. — Death  of  a  Shipmate. — Practicing  Med 
icine. — Auctions. — Sale  of  the  Brig  Bogota. 

SUPERSTITIONS. — Hassan,  a  Banyan,  had  a  para 
lytic  stroke  not  long  since,  which  twisted  his  nose  to 
one  side,  and  drew  up  the  corners  of  his  mouth.  It 
was  impossible  to  convince  him  that  this  was  not  all 
through  the  special  agency  of  the  devil.  Describing 
the  manner  in  which  his  affliction  originated,  Hassan 
said, 

"  I  was  sitting  at  the  door  of  my  house.  The 
devil  came  and  struck  me  on  the  face.  Presently, 
when  I  thought  he  was  gone,  I  put  my  hand  up,  and 


HASSAN    AND    THE    DEVIL.  385 

found  my  mouth  and  nose  all  on  one  side.  I  called 
in  the  doctors  and  necromancers,  and  they  said  it 
was  all  the  devil's  work.  He  is  in  my  head.  I  felt 
him  enter  my  nostrils.  He  is  trying  to  get  out  now, 
but  another  devil  down  in  my  throat  has  him  by  the 
leg." 

Perfectly  satisfied  that  the  two  devils  were  waging 
war  in  his  head  and  throat,  Hassan  procured  an  old 
woman,  a  celebrated  necromancer  from  the  Red  Sea, 
to  watch  for  the  evil  spirit,  which,  according  to  the 
prophecy  of  the  woman,  was  to  come  out  of  his 
mouth  within  eight  days.  Meantime,  he  was  com 
pelled  to  sit  in  a  chair  in  the  middle  of  the  room, 
with  strict  injunctions  not  to  leave  it  night  or  day ; 
and,  as  an  additional  inducement  to  the  evil  spirits 
to  leave,  he  was  obliged  to  give  the  charmer  large 
sums  of  money.  Neither  argument  nor  ridicule 
would  convince  him  that  this  idea,  which  had  taken 
such  a  hold  upon  him,  was  unfounded. 

When  a  Banyan  is  taken  sick,  he  is  immediately 
surrounded  by  a  host  of  conjurers,  who  prescribe 
the  most  absurd  remedies  for  him.  It  is  confidently 
believed  that  a  cure  may  be  effected  by  the  use  of 
charms.  The  Arabs  take  passages  from  the  Koran, 
and  drink  them  in  tumblers  of  water,  or  wear  them 
next  the  part  affected  in  a  silk  or  cotton  envelope. 
I  have  often  seen  these  charms  hung  up  over  their 
doors  to  keep  out  the  evil  spirits. 

One  morning  I  met  Captain  Hassan  Bin  Ibrihim, 
the  commander-in-chief  of  the  sultan's  naval  forces, 

C  c  c 


386  HASSAN    BIN    IBRIHIM. 

at  the  custom-house.  I  had  been  reading  Ruschen- 
berger's  Sketches  of  Zanzibar,  in  which  the  captain 
is  described  at  full  length,  and  highly  eulogized.  Af 
ter  we  had  exchanged  the  customary  salutations,  I 
alluded  to  the  complimentary  manner  in  which  he 
had  been  noticed.  His  countenance  immediately 
brightened  up. 

"  Oh  yes,"  said  he,  "  the  doctor  has  written  a  work. 
I  have  heard  of  it,  but  I  have  not  read  it.  I  very 
well  remember  the  time  when  the  Peacock  was  here. 
Commodore  Kennedy  is  my  friend.  The  commo 
dore  is  a  very  fine  man.  I  like  him  much." 

"  Well,  Hassan,"  said  I,  "  it  appears  that  you  and 
Dr.  Ruschenberger  were  quite  intimate.  He  gives 
an  account  of  a  visit  to  Kizimbane,  and  speaks  of 
you  as  if  he  knew  you  well,  for  he  intimates  as  much 
as  that  you  are  '  a  gentleman  and  a  scholar.'  ' 

This  little  compliment  tickled  old  Hassan's  vanity 
so  much  that  he  grasped  my  hand,  and  his  eyes 
sparkled  as  he  repeated  my  words. 

"  Indeed  !  Ton  my  word  !  And  so  my  friend 
has  put  me  in  print.  And  he  calls  me  a  gentleman 
and  a  scholar — all  the  same  as  plenty  sense  here" 
(tapping  his  forehead).  "  I  should  like  very  much  to 
read  his  book ;  but,  although  I  can  speak  English 
like  American  man,  I  can't  catch  idea  in  books." 

"  Is  it  true,  Hassan,  that  one  of  the  party  at  his 
highness's  shamba  examined  your  head  T 

"  Oh  yes,  I  recollect.  What  you  call  man  who 
feel  the  head  all  over  in  this  fashion !" 


JERAM  BIN  SEEVA'S  OPINION  OF  PHRENOLOGY.  387 

"  A  phrenologist.     Is  that  what  you  mean  1" 

"  That's  it ;  a  phrenologist.  Well,  that  is  strange 
business.  I  no  understand  it  exactly." 

I  soon  explained  to  Captain  Hassan  the  element 
ary  principles  of  phrenology  ;  and  it  quite  surprised 
me  to  find  him  comprehend  them  so  readily. 

Jeram  Bin  Seeva,  the  keeper  of  the  custom-house, 
who  had  been  listening  to  our  conversation,  shook 
his  head  doubtfully,  and  remarked, 

"Ah,  dis  no  very  good  business.  Phrenologist 
man  put  plenty  devil  in  people's  head.  I  tink  it 
more  better  he  do  something  else." 

"  But,  Jeram,"  said  I,  "  you  are  not  aware  of  all 
the  advantages  of  this  science.  Is  it  not  a  very 
good  way  to  find  out  a  man's  character  ?  Suppose 
his  highness  wishes  to  buy  a  slave — would  it  not  be 
a  great  advantage  to  him  to  be  able  to  tell  by  the 
shape  of  the  man's  head  whether  he  was  a  good 
man  or  a  bad  one  V 

"  Dat  may  be ;  but  I  no  like.  Suppose  he  put 
bad  ting  in  people's  head ;  what  good  den  1  Ah, 
all  dis  ting  bad,  very  bad.  I  tink  phrenologist  no 
better  dan  devil.  I  no  let  him  feel  my  head." 

"  Why,  Jeram,  you  are  entirely  mistaken.  It  is  a 
very  harmless  science,  if  not  a  useful  one.  But  have 
you  ever  heard  of  a  Mesmerist  ?" 

"  Mesmeris  ?  What  dat  1  More  bad  ting,  I 
know." 

As  this  was  something  new  to  him^  I  undertook 
to  explain  the  phenomena  of  animal  magnetism.  He 


388  MESMERISM. 

seemed  to  comprehend  what  I  meant  very  readily. 
I  then  told  him  some  of  the  wonders  of  neurology. 
The  superstitious  awe  with  which  the  Banyan  list 
ened  to  my  recital  heartily  amused  Captain  Hassan, 
who,  being  better  educated,  was  less  superstitious. 
When  I  had  concluded,  he  observed, 

"  I  think  it  very  good  plan.  Suppose  you  put  Mes 
merism  in  Jeram's  leg,  and  make  it  stiff  all  the  same 
as  a  log  of  wood.  Then  you  say  to  Jeram,  '  My 
friend,  you  very  rich  man  :  if  you  give  me  ten  thou 
sand  dollars,  I  take  devil  out  of  your  leg.  Suppose 
you  no  give,  I  make  it  stay  stiff  all  the  days  of  your 
life.  Then  you  must  walk  on  one  leg  all  the  same 
as  dervish.' " 

All  present  laughed  heartily  but  Jeram,  who  seem 
ed  to  be  seriously  frightened.  Shaking  his  head 
gravely,  he  muttered,  "  No  good  business.  I  tink  all 
dese  kind  people  go  to  bad  place." 

"  Not  at  all,  Jeram,"  said  I ;"  it  is  a  very  useful  sci 
ence.  Now,  for  instance,  if  you  wish  to  see  your 
friends  and  relatives  in  Cutch,  and  to  know  how 
they  are,  what  they  are  doing,  how  they  look,  and 
all  about  them,  all  I  have  to  do  is  to  put  you  to 
sleep  in  this  way.  Keep  still,  now,  one  minute," 
and  I  made  some  of  the  Mesmeric  passes  down  be 
fore  his  face,  keeping  my  eyes  steadily  fixed  upon 
his.  He  twisted  and  turned  in  his  seat,  opened  his 
eyes  in  horror,  and  exhibited  every  symptom  of  un 
easiness. 

41  Keep  still,  Jeram ;  you'll  see  your  friends  pres- 


THE    BIG    SNAKE.  389 

ently.  Now  don't  move.  There  !  there  !  Don't 
you  see  any  thing  ?"  and,  gazing  in  his  eyes  with  a 
mysterious  eagerness,  I  continued  to  make  the  pass 
es.  This  was  too  much  for  the  superstitious  Ban 
yan. 

"  No  good  !  no  good !"  he  shrieked,  starting  up 
from  his  seat,  with  the  utmost  consternation  depict 
ed  in  his  looks.  "  You  put  devil  in  me.  I  no  like 
dis.  Very  bad  business  dis.  Go  way  !  go  way  !  I 
call  my  men." 

Captain  Hassan  laughed  heartily  at  the  conster 
nation  of  Jeram  ;  but  told  me,  after  we  had  left  the 
custom-house,  that  I  must  be  careful,  or  I  would  get 
the  reputation  of  being  connected  with  evil  spirits, 
in  which  case  he  would  not  answer  for  the  conse 
quences. 

Mr.  Fabeus  told  me  of  an  amusing  occurrence 
illustrative  of  the  superstition  of  the  Arabs.  Trav 
eling  along  the  beach  one  day,  he  was  accosted  by 
the  sultan's  secretary,  Ahamet  Bin  Hamees. 

"  Well,  you  catch  news  to-day  I" 

"  No  ;  what  news  ?" 

"  Oh,  great  things  going  to  happen.  A  big  devil 
came  down  from  the  clouds  this  morning.  The 
people  are  all  in  confusion.  He  made  a  terrible 
noise.  His  highness  says  this  is  a  bad  sign.  What 
shall  we  do  1" 

"  What  did  this  devil  look  like  T 

"  He  came  down  in  the  shape  of  a  big  snake. 
His  head  was  in  the  water ;  his  tail  reached  clear  up 


390  HORROR    OF    BLOOD. 

to  the  clouds.  I  was  frightened  to  death.  I  think 
he  will  swallow  up  Zanzibar." 

This  devil  in  the  shape  of  a  snake,  which  pro 
duced  such  consternation,  proved  to  be  nothing  less 
than  a  water-spout,  which  had  passed  across  the 
bay.  The  sultan  firmly  adhered  to  his  first  asser 
tion,  that  it  was  a  devil,  and  boded  destruction  to 
Zanzibar ;  nor  could  ridicule  or  reason  convince 
him  of  his  error. 

The  Banyans  are  extremely  punctilious  in  their 
religious  forms.  They  have  a  holy  horror  of  blood, 
and  will  never  willingly  sacrifice  the  life  of  an  ani 
mal.  Among  their  deities  the  cow  is  particularly 
revered.  They  treat  this  animal  with  great  tender 
ness  and  affection  :  providing  shelter  for  her  in  their 
own  houses,  feeding  her  with  their  own  hands,  and 
caressing  her  on  all  occasions.  They  seldom  pass 
one  without  complimenting  her  with  a  reverential 
salaam.  Their  bigotry  is  almost  incredible.  So 
implicitly  do  they  rely  on  the  truth  of  their  own 
doctrines,  that  they  firmly  believe  no  one  who  sheds 
the  blood,  knowingly  and  willfully,  even  of  the  mean 
est  creeping  thing,  can  enter  the  future  state,  but 
must  become  forever  extinct  after  death.  When  an 
accident  befalls  any  of  them,  it  is  attributed  to  the 
devil,  who,  they  imagine,  takes  up  his  quarters  in 
their  bodies,  and  plays  those  pranks  upon  them  for 
his  own  special  amusement.  They  use  no  animal 
food  whatever.  Milk  and  rice  constitute  their  chief 
food.  So  much  has  been  written  respecting  the 


FUNERAL    CEREMONIES.  391 

idolatries  of  these  people,  that  I  fear  I  can  hardly  add 
any  thing  new.  It  is  almost  universally  known  that 
they  believe  in  the  transmigration  of  souls.  Their 
doctrine  is,  that  if  they  were  to  kill  a  cow,  or  a  goat, 
or  any  other  domestic  animal,  it  would  be  destroy 
ing  the  soul  of  some  deceased  relative.  Hence  their 
aversion  to  the  shedding  of  blood.  The  Banyans, 
notwithstanding  their  superstitions  and  idolatries, 
are  an  extremely  quiet  and  inoffensive  people,  and, 
from  their  knowledge  of  commercial  transactions, 
make  very  useful  citizens.  It  is  not  improbable  that, 
if  it  were  not  for  the  industry  and  good  example  of 
the  Banyans,  the  Arabs  would  never  enjoy  any  of 
those  luxuries  which  are  now  so  common  at  Zan 
zibar. 

The  Sowhelians  are  no  less  superstitious  than  the 
Banyans.  In  their  funeral  processions  they  exhibit 
this  trait  very  strongly.  The  mourners,  or  relatives 
of  the  deceased,  take  the  lead,  and  march  through 
the  town  with  torches,  wailing  for  the  deceased. 
When  they  arrive  at  the  beach,  they  are  taken  by 
their  friends,  and,  after  some  ceremony  like  baptism, 
immersed  in  the  surf.  After  this,  the  body  of  a  goat 
is  thrown  in  where  the  immersion  took  place,  and 
they  return  to  their  homes  with  all  their  griefs  washed 
away.  It  is  unnecessary  for  them  to  exhibit  any 
signs  of  grief  thenceforth.  The  funeral  wail  is  sin 
gularly  wild  and  mournful,  and  accompanies  the  fol 
lowing  words : 


392  ENTERTAINING    AN    ARAB. 

(Solo)  Seela  boola  jama  hilo  ! 

(Echo)  Yama  hilo. 

(Chorus)  Hilo. 

This  is  merely  a  dirge,  expressive  of  the  grief  of 
the  mourners,  and  signifies,  in  substance,  the  virtues 
of  the  deceased,  who  is  now  free  from  the  cares  and 
anxieties  of  life. 

While  at  anchor  in  the  bay,  the  Styx  was  visited 
by  great  numbers  of  the  natives,  who  brought  off 
shells  in  their  canoes  to  trade  with  us.  Among  these 
visitors  was  a  tall  young  Arab  of  pleasing  address,  to 
whom  I  have  already  alluded  as  having  been  to  Amer 
ica.  He  understood  English  very  well,  and  spoke 
it  quite  fluently.  I  found  him  very  communicative 
and  intelligent,  and  became  such  a  favorite  with  him 
that  he  made  me  several  little  presents  of  shells.  In 
return  for  his  friendly  intentions,  I  invited  him  one 
day  to  share  my  dinner  in  the  forecastle,  with  the 
design  of  making  him  some  presents  afterward.  My 
accommodations  were  not  very  good,  but  I  contrived 
a  seat  for  him  alongside  my  chest.  We  seated  our 
selves  on  a  couple  of  soap-kegs  very  socially.  I  bor 
rowed  a  tin  pot  and  pan  from  one  of  my  shipmates, 
and,  having  a  jack-knife,  two  Majungha  spoons,  and 
an  old  fork,  our  table  made  something  of  a  show. 
Unfortunately,  it  happened  to  be  what  the  sailors  call 
banyan  day,  so  that  I  could  get  nothing  for  him  but 
beef,  pork,  potatoes,  and  bread.  He  manifested  so 
much  disgust  at  the  sight  of  the  pork  that  I  removed 
it,  though  he  had  the  delicacy  to  avoid  saying  any 


HIS    AVERSION    TO    PORK.  393 

thing.  The  beef,  which  had  been  taken  from  the 
same  kid,  was  quite  as  offensive,  and  the  potatoes, 
having  come  in  contact  with  the  meat,  were  equally 
unpalatable.  Here  I  was,  in  a  pretty  predicament ! 
An  Arab  to  dine  with  me,  with  every  desire  to  ex 
tend  the  rights  of  hospitality  to  him,  and  yet  with 
nothing  to  give  him  to  eat !  Seeing  him  nibble  away 
o-n  a  dry  biscuit,  I  got  out  my  keg  of  molasses,  and 
made  him  some  switchel.  This,  with  some  broken 
bread,  he  dispatched  with  great  relish.  Curious  to 
learn  the  extent  of  his  religious  scruples,  I  asked  him 
if  he  had  ever  eaten  pork. 

"  Me  eat  pork  !"  he  exclaimed,  with  looks  of  dis 
gust  ;  "  better  I  eat  poison  !  Pork  all  the  same  as  dirt. 
Sooner  than  eat  pork,  I  cut  my  throat.  Mohamme 
dan,  if  he  touch  pork,  wash  himself  all  over.  Me 
touch  it,  it  make  me  sick  ;  me  eat  it,  I  die." 

"  And  have  you  never  even  tasted  of  it  T 

"  Never.     Me  taste  it  ?  ugh  !" 

"  How  do  you  know,  then,  whether  it's  good  or 
bad  \  Try  a  piece,  and  I'll  engage  you'll  find  it  very 
good.  It  won't  do  you  the  least  harm." 

"  You  want  me  to  die — go  to  bad  place  ?"  said 
Rajab,  looking  gravely  in  my  face. 

"  No,  Rajab  ;  I  don't  know  that  pork  ever  sent  any 
body  to  the  bad  place." 

"  Mohammedans  think  so.     Suppose  I  break  the 

rules  of  my  religion,  what  am  I  ?     Nobody  speak  to 

me  ;  my  mother  turn  me  out  of  doors  ;  nobody  give 

me  food ;  nobody  trade  with  me ;  slaves  spit  upon 

D  D  D 


394  AN    INTERESTING    PORTUGUESE    BOY. 

me,  and  beat  me  with  sticks  as  I  walk  along  the 
streets  ;  I  no  better  than  a  dog." 

In  this  way  I  learned  much  from  him  concerning 
the  most  interesting  parts  of  his  creed.  As  soon  as 
he  found  that  my  object  was  only  to  gain  informa 
tion,  he  answered  all  my  questions  with  great  candor 
and  good  humor. 

Captain  F ,  of  the  brig  Bogota,  had  a  Portu 
guese  boy,  whose  tricks  were  the  occasion  of  much 
merriment  among  the  Bogota's  crew.  He  was  a 
bright-eyed,  happy  little  fellow,  and  his  melancholy 
fate  gives  more  than  ordinary  interest  to  his  memory. 
I  first  met  him  at  Johanna,  where  his  ingenuous 
countenance  and  pleasant  disposition,  so  strongly 
contrasting  with  the  characteristic  traits  of  the  Por 
tuguese,  attracted  my  attention.  His  extreme  youth, 
the  wild  life  he  led,  the  great  distance  that  separated 
him  from  his  parents,  and  the  intellectual  beauty  of 
his  countenance,  interested  me.  He  had  been  eight 
months  from  St.  Michael's,  where  his  parents  resided, 
and,  although  he  had  never  been  before  from  his 
mountain  home  in  the  Azores,  he  could  speak  very 

good  English.  Captain  F was  much  annoyed 

by  the  natives,  who  were  continually  lounging  about 
his  house,  watching  an  opportunity  to  steal.  Little 
Sam  contrived  a  plan  to  get  rid  of  them.  As  it  was 
completely  successful,  I  shall  mention  it  for  the  ben 
efit  of  others  who  may  be  placed  in  the  same  situa 
tion.  With  a  large  piece  of  pork,  which  he  procur 
ed  from  the  cook,  he  baited  a  line  attached  to  a  long 


HIS    MELANCHOLY    DEATH.  395 

pole,  and  hid  himself  behind  a  bamboo  wall,  where 
he  could  reach  the  intruders  without  being  seen. 
When  any  of  them  came  within  the  premises,  down 
went  the  pork  on  their  heads,  and  away  they  flew, 
yelling  as  if  pursued  by  a  legion  of  devils.  Spring 
ing  from  his  station,  Sam  would  then  pursue  them 
at  full  speed  with  his  defiling  instrument.  I  have 
seen  the  poor  creatures  actually  go  into  convulsions 
if  touched  on  the  mouth  with  the  pork. 

Poor  little  Sam,  one  day,  ate  a  piece  of  pine-apple, 
and  drank  some  sherbet.  Four  days  after,  T  saw 
him  stretched  on  a  catanda  in  the  agonies  of  death. 

o 

He  died  on  the  fifth  day,  in  the  most  excruciating 
pain.  His  delicate  limbs  were  contracted  with  tor 
ture,  and  that  fair  countenance,  which  I  had  often 
looked  upon  with  so  much  pleasure,  animated  with 
boyish  glee,  was  ghastly  and  distorted.  Captain 

F mourned  his  loss  with  deep  sincerity.     He 

had  the  unfortunate  boy  decently  buried  on  the  little 
island  in  the  bay,  and  erected  a  cross,  with  a  Portu 
guese  inscription,  over  his  grave. 

The  Arabs  place  great  reliance  on  the  power  of 
conjurers,  and  subject  themselves,  by  their  credulity, 
to  the  most  glaring  deceptions.  Such  is  the  influence 
of  superstition  over  them,  that  they  will  sooner  part 
with  all  their  wealth  and  effects  than  gainsay  one  of 
these  conjurers.  It  is  a  common  practice  for  this 
class  of  impostors  to  persuade  their  dupes  that  the 
evil  spirits  have  taken  up  their  habitation  in  the  head, 
or  certain  parts  of  the  body,  and  thus  obtain  large 


396  MARRIAGE    CEREMONY. 

sums  of  money  for  working  charms  to  drive  these 
imps  out.  An  Arab  who  imagines  himself  to  be 
afflicted  in  this  way,  will  surrender  himself  com 
pletely  to  the  disposal  of  conjurers,  who,  by  acting 
in  concert,  and  increasing  his  superstitious  fears, 
often  contrive  to  fleece  him  of  all  his  money.  This 
does  not  impair  his  belief  in  the  wisdom  and  power 
of  the  conjurers.  The  misfortune  is  attributed  to 
his  bad  luck,  and  they  go  free  from  suspicion,  to 
practice  their  deceptions  on  another  dupe.  At  the 
bidding  of  these  impostors,  an  Arab  will  shut  him 
self  up  for  weeks,  with  scarcely  food  enough  to  sus 
tain  life.  When  informed  that  the  evil  spirits  have 
taken  their  departure,  he  opens  his  doors  once  more, 
sufficiently  glad  to  get  clear  of  the  unwelcome  in 
truders  not  to  grieve  over  the  cost. 

CEREMONIES,  &c. — The  marriage  ceremony  among 
the  Coolies  is  strikingly  characteristic  of  savage  life. 
It  usually  lasts  from  three  to  five  days,  according  to 
the  circumstances  of  the  parties.  I  witnessed  a 
grand  ceremony  in  honor  of  the  marriage  of  one  of 
the  Akedars  (head  Coolies),  who  was  joined  in  holy 
wedlock  to  a  Sowhelian  beauty.  It  was  on  a  larger 
scale  than  the  ordinary  marriage  ceremonies,  and 
lasted  a  week. 

The  bridal  couple,  after  arranging  all  the  prelim 
inaries  in  the  presence  of  their  friends  and  relatives, 
sallied  forth,  followed  by  a  long  procession.  From 
eighty  to  a  hundred  girls,  friends  of  the  happy  pair, 
preceded  by  all  the  Coolies  in  the  town,  and  sur- 


ZANZIBAR  BELLES  AND  COSTUME.       397 

rounded  by  crowds  of  citizens  of  every  caste,  com 
posed  the  most  singular  part  of  the  procession. 
These  damsels  were  all  fat  and  sleek ;  for,  unlike 
our  standard  of  beauty,  a  belle  at  Zanzibar  must 
weigh  at  least  two  hundred.  Her  cheeks  must  pro 
ject  like  gourds,  and  the  quintessence  of  beauty  is  a 
bright,  greasy  skin.  The  belle  who  can  scarcely 
carry  her  surplus  fat,  and  waddles  along  like  a  duck, 
captivates  all  hearts.  Their  style  of  costume  in 
these  processions  is  by  no  means  unbecoming,  though 
characteristic  of  the  love  of  show  evinced  by  all  sav 
age  nations.  It  is  composed  of  Persian  silks,  or 
shawls  from  Aden,  of  the  most  striking  and  beauti 
ful  colors,  thrown  gracefully  over  the  shoulders  and 
breasts,  and  hanging  in  loose  folds  to  the  feet.  A 
simple  robe  of  Zanzibar  fabric,  made  from  the  bark 
of  the  cocoa-nut,  wrapped  around  the  body,  and  se 
cured  by  strings,  forms  the  remainder  of  this  pictu 
resque  costume.  No  turban  is  worn  ;  but  frequent 
ly  the  head  is  ornamented  with  a  great  profusion  of 
beads,  and  the  hair  combed  out  at  full  length,  resem 
bling  very  strongly  a  mop,  or  what  is  sometimes 
called  a  pope's  head,  such  as  chambermaids  use  for 
brushing  down  cobwebs.  Fashion  here,  as  well  as 
elsewhere,  commits  her  fantastic  freaks.  Sandals 
are  seldom  worn  by  the  females.  The  ankles  are 
fancifully  bedecked  with  brass  rings,  silver  or  gilt 
clasps  and  beads,  and  rudely-carved  ebony ;  and  the 
ears  and  various  parts  of  the  person  ornamented 
with  a  profusion  of  trinkets.  A  horse's  tail,  or  the 


398  DRESS    OF    THE    MEN. 

skin  of  a  mokak,  not  unfrequently  forms  the  head 
dress.  It  has  a  very  singular  appearance  dangling 
down  over  the  back  of  the  neck.  Their  faces  are 
daubed  in  a  frightful  manner  with  yellow,  red,  or 
black  paint.  The  eyebrows  are  painted  from  tem 
ple  to  temple,  and  a  large  circle  round  the  eyes 
traced  with  black  paint  is  considered  the  chef-d'oeuvre 
of  elegance.  At  a  short  distance  it  gives  them  the 
appearance  of  owls. 

The  men  are  naked  to  the  waist,  and  wear  noth 
ing  but  white  turbans  and  a  cotton  clouty  fastened 
round  the  hips  and  reaching  down  to  the  calf  of  the 
leg.  They  present  a  very  formidable  appearance 
with  their  painted  faces,  necklaces  of  sharks'  teeth, 
and  glittering  khungars  (knives).  In  the  procession 
of  the  Akedar,  they  took  the  lead  of  the  musicians. 
Their  arms  consisted  of  swords,  spears,  khungars, 
bows  and  arrows,  and  war-clubs,  which  they  flour 
ished  with  the  most  ferocious  and  threatening  ges 
tures.  When  the  procession  reached  any  street 
where  the  leaders  desired  to  have  a  dance,  the  main 
body  came  to  a  halt.  Six  or  eight  of  the  active 
performers  ran  forward  in  advance  of  the  procession, 
and  gave  notice  of  the  entertainment  by  yelling  at 
the  top  of  their  voices,  and  going  through  various 
curious  maneuvers.  Each  man  was  provided  with 
a  sword,  the  blade  of  which  was  so  thin,  that,  by 
holding  it  in  a  vertical  position  and  striking  his  wrist 
with  the  hilt,  a  vibratory  motion  was  produced, 
which  is  considered  a  feat  of  great  skill.  Some- 


A    MOUNTEBANK.  399 

times  one  of  the  party  has  a  bow  and  a  quiver  of 
arrows,  another  a  spear,  and  a  third  a  javelin.  In 
this  case  the  man  with  the  bow  and  arrows  goes 
through  his  exercise  by  running  stealthily  along,  as 
if  stealing  upon  an  enemy.  He  then  crouches  upon 
the  ground,  creeps  a  few  yards  on  his  hands  and 
knees,  and  draws  upon  his  foe.  The  arrow  is  sup 
posed  to  have  reached  the  heart  of  his  victim.  The 
warrior  springs  up  with  a  savage  yell,  and  dances 
about  in  a  paroxysm  of  delight,  his  eyes  flashing, 
and  his  countenance  indicative  of  savage  triumph. 
The  spear  and  javelin  exercise  follows  this,  and  is 
precisely  similar.  There  is  also  a  mountebank  at 
tached  to  all  these  processions,  and  the  part  he  plays 
is  very  conspicuous.  His  dress  is  composed  of  a 
clouty,  a  few  bunches  of  kya  rope  dangling  from  his 
head,  tattered  rags  round  his  wrrists  and  ankles,  and 
a  civit-skin  hanging  over  each  shoulder  by  way  of 
ornament.  His  face  is  striped  with  red  and  black 
paint,  and  his  body  fantastically  ornamented  with 
yellow  ochre,  or  copal  dust.  This  important  func 
tionary,  like  the  clown  at  a  circus,  is  full  of  tricks, 
and  acts  well  his  part  if  he  can  raise  a  laugh  by 
his  grimaces  or  ridiculous  antics.  He  yells  louder 
than  any  one  in  the  party,  cuts  the  most  extraordi 
nary  monkey  capers,  dances,  wriggles  his  body  into 
unnatural  positions,  and  frightens  the  little  children 
with  the  horrible  contortions  of  his  face.  In  short, 
he  is  quite  an  indispensable  personage,  and  attracts 
great  attention. 


400  A    BARBAROUS    DIN. 

Meantime,  while  these  manoeuvers  were  going  on, 
the  main  body  formed  themselves  into  two  lines,  one 
at  each  side  of  the  street,  leaving  a  space  between 
of  four  or  five  feet.  The  musicians  stood  between 
these  lines,  and  struck  up  their  wild,  singular  airs  on 
zoomaras  (somewhat  like  our  clarinets)  barnbooas, 
banjos,  and  drums,  creating  a  most  deafening  din. 
In  the  midst  of  them  stood  three  boys  bearing  a 
platform,  upon  which  was  a  large  copper  dish,  which 
a  fourth  performed  upon  by  hammering  it  with  a 
cudgel,  causing  a  sound  not  unlike  a  dozen  cymbals 
struck  at  once.  The  females  maintain  their  posi 
tion,  one  row  opposite  the  other,  and  move  slowly 
along  in  military  tile,  bowing  their  bodies  over  in  time 
to  the  music.  They  beat  the  time  on  rhinoceros 
horns  with  a  solid  piece  of  wood.  This  barbarous 
din  they  accompany  with  their  voices,  singing  a  sort 
of  chant,  much  in  the  monotnous  manner  of  the 
Portuguese.  Nothing  can  be  more  characteristic  of 
savage  life  than  their  gestures,  which  are  beastly  and 
lascivious.  If  this  would  not  sicken  the  sentimental 
ist  who  eulogizes  the  grace  and  beauty  of  these 
wenches,  there  is  a  certain  odor  that  fills  the  atmos 
phere,  especially  in  very  warm  weather,  which  I 
think  would  tend  to  destroy  all  romantic  allusions. 

Occasionally  an  amateur  from  the  crowd  springs 
into  the  opening  between  the  two  files,  and  dances 
from  one  end  to  the  other,  reminding  me  forcibly  of 
our  own  country  reels. 

Thousands  of  idlers  and  vagabond  Arabs  follow 
the  procession,  and  join  in  the  clamor. 


CHARACTER    OF    THE    WOMEN.  401 

Preceding  the  procession  is  a  mammoth  represent 
ation  of  a  horse,  carried  by  four  men,  whose  bodies 
are  concealed.  The  body  of  this  immense  animal 
is  composed  of  a  cloth  cast  over  a  frame,  and  a 
wooden  head,  highly  ornamented  with  red  silks  and 
other  fanciful  decorations.  Moving  along  slowly 
with  an  undulating  motion,  and  the  legs  of  the  four 
men  giving  it  the  appearance  of  some  extraordinary 
animal  with  double  legs,  it  is  certainly  one  of  the 
most  startling  objects  I  ever  saw,  and  I  think  it  would 
strike  a  panic  among  a  regiment  of  soldiers,  if  they 
suddenly  came  upon  it  without  knowing  the  secret 
of  its  structure. 

There  is  a  stated  period — three  days,  as  I  was 
told  by  a  Sowhelian — after  the  performance  of  the 
marriage  ceremony,  during  which  the  bridegroom  can 
not  enjoy  any  of  the  privileges  of  conjugal  life  ;  but 
this  delay  is  no  great  deprivation,  as,  in  nine  cases 
out  of  ten,  those  privileges  have  been  enjoyed  before 
hand. 

Marriage  with  the  Sowhelese  is  a  mere  theatrical 
farce,  or,  at  best,  but  a  jubilee  for  the  entertainment 
of  the  bridegroom's  friends.  It  is  no  sweeping  as 
sertion  to  say  that  the  females,  from  the  age  of  twelve, 
are  at  the  service  of  the  public.  Of  all  the  shame 
less  libertines  I  ever  saw,  the  Arabs  are  pre-eminent. 
Although  very  zealous  that  the  virtue  of  women  of 
all  castes  should  be  in  their  own  hands,  they  evince 
by  all  their  actions  that  it  could  not  be  in  worse. 

I  have  read  in  some  work — the  title  of  which  I 
E  E  E 


402  THE    MARRIAGE    LAW. 

can  not  call  to  mind — that  infidelity,  in  regard  to  the 
marriage  tie,  is  extremely  rare  among  the  Moham 
medans.  It  was  one  of  the  laws  of  Mohammed 
himself,  as  is  stated  in  Sale's  translation  of  the 
Koran,  that  no  female  could  be  convicted  of  adultery 
without  the  testimony  of  four  responsible  witnesses. 
This  originated  in  consequence  of  a  charge  made 
against  his  favorite  wife,  in  whose  chastity  he  had 
great  confidence.  She  had  the  misfortune  to  lose 
her  way  one  evening ;  next  morning  she  was  gallant 
ed  home  by  a  handsome  youth.  Her  character  was 
assailed  by  the  envious  of  her  sex,  and  Mohammed, 
believing  her  to  be  innocent,  enacted  a  lawr  to  save 
her  reputation,  as  well  as  to  apply  to  all  cases  of  a 
similar  nature. 

That  this  law  has  ever  been  carried  into  execu 
tion  under  the  government  of  the  Imaum  of  Muscat, 
seems  to  me  a  matter  of  doubt ;  and  the  assertion 
that  infidelity  is  of  rare  occurrence  among  the  Mo 
hammedans  is  altogether  fallacious ;  for  the  Sowhe- 
lese  and  Arab  females  are,  with  scarcely  an  excep 
tion,  singularly  liberal  of  their  favors  before  marriage, 
and  it  is  not  at  all  probable  that  the  mere  mockery 
of  a  ceremony  could  produce  the  magical  effect  of 
making  them  virtuous.  Several  cases  of  infidelity  oc 
curred  within  my  knowledge.  The  females  were 
Arabs,  the  offenders  Sowhelese.  It  did  not  require 
four  witnesses  to  prove  the  offense.  In  each  case 
one  witness  was  quite  sufficient.  Nor  was  there  any 
trial  afterward.  The  only  law  executed  in  such 


SOWHELIAN    DANCE.  403 

cases  is  what  we  would  term  Lynch  law.  Like  all 
the  laws  by  which  the  Arabs  are  governed,  it  is  the 
law  of  passion,  unguided  either  by  reason  or  a  desire 
for  strict  justice.  The  offenders  were  beaten  through 
the  streets  with  clubs  and  sticks.  Every  passer-by 
who  had  a  weapon  of  this  kind  amused  himself  by 
tapping  the  poor  wretches  on  the  head;  and  one  who 
passed  the  consular  residence,  as  I  sat  at  the  window 
one  forenoon,  was  covered  with  blood  and  stripes. 

Dancing  is  a  favorite  pastime  with  the  natives  of 
Zanzibar.  The  Sowhelese  are  so  devoted  to  this 
amusement,  that  groups  of  them  may  be  seen  in  the 
streets,  enjoying  themselves  to  the  tune  of  a  dozen 
drums  under  a  burning  sun,  and  where  the  ground  is 
hot  enough  to  bake  bread.  The  females  dance  in 
separate  sets  from  the  men ;  and  although,  to  a  culti 
vated  taste,  their  style  of  dancing  has  nothing  attract 
ive  or  graceful  in  it,  yet  no  doubt  they  have  their 
Ellslers,  Augustas,  and  Celestes.  The  first  time  I 
saw  a  regular  dance,  I  was  strolling  down  through 
that  part  of  the  town  called  Melina,  where  the  poor 
er  classes  reside.  My  attention  was  attracted  by  a 
crowd  at  the  door  of  a  miserable-looking  hut,  and  a 
deafening  din  of  drums,  tamborines,  zoomaras,  and 
bambooas  from  within.  Having  a  great  curiosity  to 
see  what  was  going  on,  I  stepped  up  to  the  door  and 
made  my  salaam  to  the  crowd,  with  the  usual  com 
pliments,  "  Yanibo  —  yambo  saana  —  cana  loolo  ?" 
They  very  politely  made  way  for  the  Manoomaigee, 
and  I  took  my  stand  on  the  threshold  of  the  door, 


404  SOWHELIAN    "  AGGRAVATORS." 

for  the  suffocating  closeness  of  the  atmosphere 
within  was  more  than  I  could  bear.  There  were 
six  or  eight  damsels  of  a  very  dusky  hue  on  the  floor, 
performing  their  part  with  great  energy  and  perse 
verance  ;  indeed,  they  looked  more  like  poor  wretch 
es  hard  at  work  than  Sowhelian  ladies  enjoying  a  fa 
vorite  amusement.  If  there  was  any  pleasure  in  it, 
they  certainly  earned  it  by  the  "  sweat  of  their  brow;" 
and  although  I  was  aware  of  nothing  of  a  pathetic 
nature  that  had  occurred,  they  were  all  in  a  melting 
mood.  The  dusky  beauties  have  all  the  vanity  of 
their  sex  in  civilized  lands,  and  since  it  is  not  the 
custom  to  break  hearts  and  captivate  the  beaux  with 
starch,  rouge,  and  jewels,  they  make  themselves  form 
idable  by  dyeing  their  lips,  ornamenting  their  hair 
with  horses'  tails,  and  wearing  a  bewitching  profusion 
of  sharks'  teeth  round  their  necks.  What  a  spectacle ! 
A  belle  of  the  first  water  with  a  necklace  of  sharks' 
teeth,  and  a  horse's  tail  in  her  hair  !  So  much  for 
fashion.  They  are  quite  as  captivating,  no  doubt, 
to  the  Sowhelian  beaux  as  all  the  fascinating  gew 
gaws  of  our  ball-room  coquettes  are  to  the  bandbox 
gentry  with  white  kids.  These  Sowhelian  "  aggra- 
vators,"  as  the  elder  Mr.  Weller  would  call  them,  in 
creased  their  natural  charms  by  decorating  themselves 
with  prodigious  earrings,  weighing  not  less  than  half 
a  pound  each,  and  brass  and  iron  bracelets  on  their 
wrists  and  ankles  of  corresponding  dimensions. 
Such  a  sight  in  America  would  be  looked  upon  as  a 
satire  upon  vanity,  and  doubtless  one  of  our  belles 


A    DIABOLICAL    CONCATENATION.  405 

would  smile  with  sovereign  contempt  at  such  an  ex 
hibition  ;  but  is  it  more  ridiculous  than  vanity  in  the 
higher  walks  of  life  I  Women  are  the  same  all  over 
the  world.  I  have  discovered  that  fact,  at  least,  and 
that  much  information  has  been  added  to  my  stock 
of  knowledge. 

The  musicians  were  squatted  in  a  corner  of  the 
hut,  drumming  and  blowing  like  madmen.  They 
seemed  to  me  to  have  a  savage  grudge  against  their 
instruments,  so  furiously  did  they  perform  on  them. 
It  was  laughable  to  see  their  earnestness.  Their 
faces  were  fixed  in  one  position ;  their  eyes  rolling 
hither  and  thither  ;  the  muscles  of  their  faces  work 
ing,  as  if  undergoing  a  galvanic  process  ;  their  necks 
stretched  stock  stiff;  and  their  teeth  clinched,  as  if 
in  a  desperate  attempt  to  elicit  something  electrify 
ing  from  the  instruments.  The  music,  if  such  it 
could  be  called,  was  the  most  diabolical  concatena 
tion  of  harsh  discords  I  ever  heard.  It  was  simply  a 
repetition  of  three  or  four  notes  on  the  zoomara,  ac 
companied  by  the  bambooa  and  banjo,  and  the  thun 
dering  applause  of  the  drum.  I  was  soon  tired  of 
the  horrible  din  and  confusion  of  the  whole  exhibi 
tion,  and  I  left  them  to  the  enjoyment  of  their  sport, 
fully  impressed  with  the  conviction,  that  every  spe 
cies  of  human  pleasure  is  simply  the  result  of  our 
ideas  of  pleasure ;  for  what  was  fun  to  the  Sowhe- 
lians  would  have  been  hard  labor  to  me. 

The  Coolies,  or  slaves,  who  carry  burdens,  are  by 
far  the  best  dancers  I  have  seen.  Constant  exercise 


406  CONDITION    OF    THE    ARABS. 

gives  them  a  grace  of  motion  and  freedom  in  their 
muscular  action  not  possessed  by  any  other  class  of 
natives  on  the  island.  From  fifty  to  a  hundred  of 
them  form  setts  every  week  in  one  of  the  public 
squares,  and  sometimes  keep  up  the  dance  all  night 
to  the  music  of  the  zoomara  and  the  roar  of  a  dozen 
drums.  They  are  stout,  athletic,  and  well  formed, 
and  excel  in  feats  of  muscular  activity.  Their  dances 
are  carried  on  with  great  spirit,  and  consist  of  a 
variety  of  manoeuvers,  not  unlike  the  Portuguese  and 
Spanish  country  dances. 

Superstition,  indolence,  and  bigotry  have  prevent 
ed  the  Arabs  from  arriving  at  any  high  degree  of  pro 
ficiency  in  the  arts  and  sciences.  Since  the  reign 
of  Mohammed,  they  have  dwindled  down  into  com 
parative  insignificance.  I  speak  of  the  Arabs  of  the 
present  age  ;  far  different  are  they  from  their  fore 
fathers,  whose  thirst  for  knowledge  led  them  to  make 
some  of  the  most  valuable  discoveries  on  record. 
They  have  fallen  low  indeed,  and  are  now  little 
better  than  semi-barbarians.  Other  nations  have 
come  into  existence,  grown  powerful,  and  attained 
the  highest  degree  of  civilization ;  but  the  Arabs,  un 
der  the  influence  of  their  religious  prejudices,  prohib 
iting  all  the  powers  of  reason  ;  turning  a  deaf  ear  to  all 
argument ;  excluding  the  views  and  opinions  of  every 
other  nation  on  earth  ;  and  treating  all  human  wis 
dom  as  an  innovation  upon  their  doctrines,  have 
slowly  retrograded,  till  they  now  stand  beyond  the 
pale  of  civilization.  Nature  has  not  been  sparing 


A  MYSTERIOUS  SERENADE.          407 

of  her  gifts  to  them.  They  are  comely  in  form  and 
feature,  and  possess  naturally  strong  intellectual  ca 
pacities.  It  is  to  be  regretted  that  they  are  so  blind 
to  their  own  powers.  I  have  associated  with  many 
of  them  who  possessed  quick  perceptive  powers,  a 
keen  relish  for  information,  and  strong  reasoning 
faculties  combined  with  quiet  humor.  With  a  suit 
able  education,  deprived  of  their  fanaticism,  con 
vinced  of  their  religious  errors,  and  with  some  power 
ful  incentive  to  energy  and  action,  the  Arabs  are  ca 
pable  of  arriving  at  a  high  state  of  perfection  in 
literature  and  science. 

JUNGLE  DOGS. — A  very  singular  circumstance  oc 
curred  shortly  after  I  took  up  my  quarters  at  the 
consul's.  It  made  an  impression  on  my  mind  that 
has  not  since  been  effaced.  I  slept  in  a  large  room 
in  the  front  part  of  the  house.  On  a  fine  moonlight 
night  I  was  awakened  by  a  low,  dismal  howl  under 
one  of  the  windows.  Startling  rne  from  a  sound 
sleep,  it  had  something  unearthly  in  it.  I  had  hard 
ly  been  well  roused,  when  another  howl,  low  and 
wild — entirely  different  from  any  canine  sound  I 
had  ever  heard  before — broke  upon  the  stillness  of 
the  night.  Slowly  and  mournfully  it  died  away.  I 
listened  for  a  moment,  and  it  was  repeated.  Scarce 
ly  had  the  last  faint  echo  died  away,  when  there 
burst  upon  the  night  air  a  loud,  full  chorus  of  howls 
like  a  funeral  wail,  but  so  wild,  sepulchral,  and 
death-like,  that  I  sprang  from  my  catanda  in  affright, 
and  ran  to  the  window  to  see  the  cause  of  my 


408  JUNGLE    DOGS. 

alarm.  Much  to  my  surprise,  I  discovered  that  a 
pack  of  jungle  dogs,  forty  or  fifty  in  number,  had 
assembled  in  the  street  to  serenade  the  consular  res 
idence.  They  were  lean,  ghostly-looking  gentry 
with  long  ears,  fierce  eyes,  and  smooth  brown  coats. 
Unaccompanied  as  their  voices  were  by  instrumental 
music,  and  being  rather  uncultivated,  the  startling 
novelty  of  the  serenade  was  easily  accounted  for. 
After  favoring  us  with  a  few  more  airs  of  a  similar 
plaintive  nature,  they  quietly  betook  themselves  to 
their  homes  in  the  jungle.  I  thought  but  little  of 
this  at  the  time,  and  had  it  then  ended  I  should  not, 
perhaps,  have  deemed  it  worth  mentioning.  Next 
morning,  however,  we  discussed  the  matter  at  the 
breakfast-table.  The  consul -spoke  of  it  as  some 
thing  quite  as  new  to  him  as  to  me.  He  had  never 
known  the  jungle  dogs  to  come  in  a  body,  and  act 
in  this  extraordinary  manner  before.  That  day  I 
asked  Sedeek,  the  consul's  steward,  what  he  thought 
was  the  cause  of  their  mysterious  visit.  "Ah,"  said 
he,  "  somebody  die  soon.  Dis  always  so,  when  man 
goin'  to  die.  Dog  come  from  jungle  to  tell  him,  so 
he  be  ready.  Dog  know  plenty  much.  Arab  man 
all  tink  dis  true  sign.  You  find  it  so." 

Precisely  at  the  same  hour  the  next  night,  and  for 
three  nights  in  succession,  these  dogs  set  up  their 
unearthly  wail.  One  of  the  clerks,  having  no  taste 
for  such  music,  fired  a  pistol  at  them  during  their 
last  serenade,  and  dispersed  them,  after  which  they 
did  not  return. 


SICK    FRIENDS.  409 

Though  no  believer  in  omens,  nor  superstitions, 
in  the  general  sense  of  the  term,  I  must  confess  the 
sequel  to  these  nocturnal  visits  produced  the  most 
melancholy  feelings.  I  walked  down  next  morning 

to  the  house  where  Captain  F 's  men  had  died, 

and  where  two  of  the  deserters  from  the  Styx  had 
for  a  week  past  been  lying  ill  of  a  fever.  In  a 
sketch  of  the  crew,  I  alluded  to  the  tyrannical  and 
brutal  manner  in  which  Thomas  Vernon,  a  young 
man  from  Philadelphia,  was  treated.  Driven,  by  the 
cold-blooded  system  of  oppression  invariably  pursued 
by  the  captain,  to  desert,  he  was  attacked  by  a  fever 
soon  after  the  Styx  sailed,  and,  after  dragging  him 
self  from  place  to  place,  he  at  length  found  rest  in 
the  untenanted  house  which  had  been  left  vacant  by 
the  hand  of  death.  The  other  deserter,  Blair,  was 
but  slightly  ill.  I  visited  these  men  every  day,  and 
gave  them  all  the  medical  advice  I  was  capable  of 
giving.  Bill  Mann  took  up  his  quarters  with  them, 
and  attended  to  them  with  great  kindness;  and  I 
had  supposed  their  disease  had  taken  a  favorable 
turn,  when,  on  the  morning  to  which  I  refer,  my 
hopes  were  disappointed.  On  entering  the  room 
which  Bill  made  use  of  as  a  kitchen,  I  found  the 
rough  old  tar  sitting  on  a  chest,  with  his  arms  cross 
ed,  and  the  tears  streaming  down  his  sunburned  face. 
I  knew  too  well  the  cause  of  his  grief.  I  walked 
silently  into  Tom's  room,  and  sat  down  on  the  ca- 
tanda.  The  body  was  covered.  Removing  the 
blanket,  I  gazed  upon  the  face  that  but  yesterday 

FFF 


410  DEATH    OF    A    SHIPMATE. 

had  beamed  with  hope.  It  was  pale,  ghastly,  and 
motionless.  Poor  Tom  was  no  more.  I  learned 
from  Bill,  that  previous  to  his  death  he  had  a  pre 
sentiment  that  he  would  never  again  see  home,  and 
he  begged  him  to  convey  a  message  to  his  mother. 
Bill  watched  by  him  till  he  fell  asleep,  and  then  left 
him.  Early  in  the  morning,  on  entering  the  room, 
he  found  him  lying  with  his  face  down,  and  one 
hand  firmly  grasped  around  his  throat,  while  with 
the  other  the  unfortunate  young  man  had  strangled 
himself.  Thus  died  a  victim  of  heartless  tyranny. 
It  may  be  a  source  of  satisfaction  to  the  captain  of 
the  Styx  to  know  that  Vernon  spoke  of  the  wrongs 
\vhich  had  caused  him  to  desert  in  a  kind  and  for 
giving  spirit.  He  died  in  a  strange  land,  far  away 
from  all  who  were  dear  to  him.  He  was  buried  on 
the  little  island  in  front  of  the  town,  with  no  prayer 
but  the  natural  offering  of  the  few  hearts  that  felt 
and  regretted  his  untimely  death. 

One  word  to  the  captain  of  the  Styx ;  and  should 
this  ever  meet  his  eye,  he  will  hardly  pass  it  over. 
Look  at  the  miserable  death  of  a  youth,  who  never 
offended  and  who  freely  forgave.  He  sleeps  in 
peace  after  all  your  tyranny.  Should  you  ever,  in 
the  course  of  your  wanderings  over  the  world,  visit 
the  desolate  little  island  upon  which  he  is  buried, 
ponder  over  his  solitary  grave,  and  ask  your  heart,  is 
it  free  from  guilt !  Think  of  his  wrongs ;  his  suffer 
ings  ;  his  yearnings  for  home,  when  there  was  no 
ministering  angel  to  lend  a  helping  hand  ;  his  death, 
in  the  very  morning  of  life — think  of  these  ;  but 


GLOOMY    THOUGHTS.  411 

"  Let  not  the  vision  of  the  murdered  dead, . 
The  broken  hearts  that  he  has  left  behind, 
Disturb  your  joys.'* 

Go  your  way  through  life,  spreading  sorrow  and 
desolation  around  you ;  and,  when  your  last  hour  has 
arrived,  pray  that  God  may  be  as  forgiving  to  you  as 
your  victims  have  been ;  pray  that  he  may  show  more 
mercy  to  you  than  you  have  ever  shown  to  others. 

Is  it  strange  that,  after  this  melancholy  occurrence, 
depressed  in  mind,  enervated  in  body,  the  death- 
scenes  I  had  witnessed  from  day  to  day  fresh  in  my 
memory,  I  should  feel  a  superstitious  dread  of  im 
pending  evil  ?  Not  that  death  is  an  evil,  but  it  was 
with  horror  I  thought  of  such  deaths  as  I  had  seen : 
the  raging  fevers,  the  agonies,  the  momentary  calm, 
and  the  passionate  yearnings  for  the  faces  of  beloved 
parents,  sisters,  or  brothers.  These  circumstances, 
combined  with  the  night-wailing  of  the  jungle  dogs, 
made  me  very  gloomy  and  unhappy ;  and  I  longed 
for  the  appearance  of  a  vessel  in  which  I  might  work 
my  passage  to  some  more  civilized  land,  less  fraught 
with  scenes  of  distress  and  death. 

PRACTICING  MEDICINE. — It  is  characteristic  of  all 
semi-barbarous  nations,  and  has  often  been  noticed 
by  European  and  American  travelers,  that  the  superi 
ority  in  education  and  intellect  of  white  people 
causes  them  to  be  looked  up  to  as  possessing  great 
powers  over  disease.  At  Madagascar  and  Johanna, 
I  was  beset  by  crowds  of  cripples,  who,  in  piteous 
accents,  begged  me  to  relieve  their  sufferings.  It 


412  HUNT    FOR    CURIOSITIES. 

was  the  same  in  Zanzibar.  Scarcely  a  day  passed 
that  I  was  not  called  upon  to  administer  some  rem 
edy  for  a  fever  or  wound.  One  case  that  came  un 
der  my  observation  was  rather  amusing,  and  I  think 
a  brief  account  of  it  will  interest  the  reader. 

I  had  but  a  short  time  to  spare,  the  brig  Rolla 
being  expected  very  soon  from  the  Persian  Gulf; 
and  I  wished  to  procure  all  the  curiosities  I  could  in 
that  time.  From  my  acquaintance  with  Rajab,  I 
knew  him  to  be  a  faithful  guide.  I  therefore  stated 
my  wants  to  him,  and  he  readily  agreed  to  conduct 
me  through  the  town  in  search  of  curiosities.  We 
first  went  to  the  shop  of  Aloo,  a  shell-merchant, 
where  we  spent  an  hour  ransacking  a  large  stock  of 
shells.  They  were  in  a  putrid  state,  and  the  smell 
was  very  offensive.  I  purchased  a  small  collection 
of  the  most  valuable,  and  then  went  in  search  of  a 
spear.  Rajab  informed  me  that  one  of  his  neigh 
bors  had  a  very  handsome  one,  and,  if  I  would  ac 
company  him  home,  he  would  engage  to  get  it.  A 
long  walk  through  the  dirtiest  part  of  the  town 
brought  us  to  the  door  of  a  neat  whitewashed  house, 
upon  which  was  written,  in  large  letters,  "Rajab, 
No.  1."  Upon  entering  the  front  room,  I  was  quite 
struck  with  the  neatness  and  taste  with  which  it  was 
furnished.  A  rich  carpet,  a  polished  table,  and  the 
usual  number  of  chairs,  looking-glasses,  &c.,  which 
make  up  the  furniture  of  a  snug  Western  log-cabin, 
evinced  something  of  the  civilized  notions  which 
Rajab  had  acquired  in  Salem. 


RAJAB'S  PORTRAIT.  413 


As  I  had  often  heard  that  Rajab  had  a  very  pretty 
sister,  I  was  in  no  particular  hurry  to  get  the  spear. 
My  young  host  entertained  me  with  an  account  of 
his  reception  in  America ;  his  impressions  on  first 
seeing  steam-boats  and  locomotives  under  way ;  the 
curiosities  he  had  seen  in  Boston ;  and  other  topics 
of  wonder  which  might  be  supposed  to  attract  the 
attention  of  an  Arab.  He  informed  me,  among  other 
interesting  items,  that  Mr.  Sheppard,  an  artist  of  Sa 
lem,  had  painted  his  portrait,  and  made  him  a  pres 
ent  of  it.  On  his  return  to  Zanzibar  he  brought  it 
home  with  him.  His  mother  asked  him  what  it 
was.  "  Dis  me,  modder,"  said  Rajab ;  "  dis  all  de 
same  as  my  face."  She  looked  at  the  portrait,  and 
fell  into  a  terrible  rage ;  abusing  the  artist  in  no 
measured  terms  for  having  transplanted  part  of  her 
son's  flesh  and  blood  to  the  canvas.  Rajab  insisted 
that  it  was  only  paint.  "  No  Rajab,  sure  'nuff."  But 
the  old  woman  denounced  the  artist  as  a  dealer  in 
evil  sciences,  and  protested  her  son  could  only  re 
gain  the  lost  flesh,  and  whatever  of  his  soul  he  had 
lost  with  it,  by  destroying  the  painting.  This  she 
forced  him  to  do,  much  to  his  mortification ;  for  he 
was  not  a  little  vain  of  his  appearance  on  canvas. 
I  was  heartily  amused  at  the  young  Arab's  account 
of  his  mother's  superstition. 

"  You  sabbe  medicine  1"  asked  Rajab,  after  a 
pause. 

"  Yes,  I  savey  a  little." 

"You  sabbe  how  to  cure  sore  foot?" 


414  A    SORE    FOOT, 

"  What  sort  of  foot  1  and  whose  is  it  ?" 

"  It  belong  to  my  modder." 

"  Well,  I'll  try,  Rajab.     Have  you  any  sisters  ?" 

"  Yes,  me  got  one  sister  here." 

"  Is  she  married  ?" 

"  No ;  suppose  you  look  at  my  modder's  foot,  an' 
you  'fraid  of  my  sister,  I  tell  her  go  way." 

"  Oh,  no  !"  said  I,  laughing ;  "  don't  trouble  your 
self  about  that,  Rajab.  I  think  I  can  stand  it.  I'll 
go  in ;  lead  the  way  !" 

I  had  seen  so  few  of  the  Arab  females  who  merit 
ed  the  praises  bestowed  upon  them  by  travelers,  that 
I  was  very  anxious  to  have  an  opportunity  of  passing 
my  judgment  upon  this  belle.  Following  Rajab,  he 
led  me  through  several  rooms  to  the  piazza  at  the 
back  part  of  the  house.  Seated  on  a  low  catanda 
were  the  old  dame  and  her  daughter,  busily  employ 
ed  making  colored  mats.  I  made  my  salaam  to  them, 
not  with  the  grace  of  a  Chesterfield,  I  confess,  for 
my  professional  character  was  rather  too  new  to  sit 
comfortably  upon  me.  My  patient  was-  all  aback  at 
the  sudden  apparition  of  a  white  man,  and  the  daugh 
ter  blushed  with  embarrassment.  She  was  really  a 
modest,  pretty  girl,  about  eighteen  years  of  age,  with 
piercing  black  eyes,  finely-rounded  limbs,  tapering 
arms,  and  hands  that  might  be  envied,  for  grace  and 
delicacy  of  shape,  by  many  a  belle  in  our  own  land 
of  beauty.  Not  wishing  to  increase  her  embarrass 
ment  by  staring  at  her,  I  pretended  to  be  very  busily 
occupied  with  the  old  woman's  foot ;  but,  I  confess, 


AND    A    PAIR    OF   BLACK    EYES.  415 

my  eyes  wandered  slyly  from  time  to  time  in  the 
other  direction.  I  explained  to  Rajab  the  nature  of 
the  wound,  which  was  simply  occasioned  by  a  splin 
ter,  and  gave  him  a  verbal  recipe  for  a  poultice,  with 
suitable  directions  for  applying  it.  My  patient  was 
profuse  in  her  expressions  of  gratitude,  which  were 
all  Greek,  or,  rather,  Arabic  to  me,  till  Rajab  Angli 
cized  them.  There  was  no  plausible  reason  why  I 
should  prolong  my  stay ;  still,  when  I  looked  upon 
the  dark,  expressive  eyes  of  the  Arab  beauty,  I  could 
not  help  thinking  how  charming  it  would  be  to  hear 
her  sing 

"  Go  not  yet,  go  not  yet ; 

Linger  yet  a  moment  more. 
Something  that  I  now  forget, 
Would  I  whisper  o'er." 

And  when  one  anxiously  wishes  for  little  compli 
mentary  notices  of  this  kind,  how  easy  it  is  to  per 
suade  himself  that  they  are  expressed  by  the  eyes,  if 
not  by  the  tongue.  I  made  up  my  mind  that  the 
expression  of  my  charmer's  eyes  was  peculiarly  af 
fectionate,  and  I  "  lingered  a  moment  more."  Ra 
jab  spoke  to  his  sister,  and  she  brought  me  a  little 
stool  about  four  inches  high,  upon  which  I  attempt 
ed,  without  looking  very  particularly  at  it,  to  seat 
myself.  Deceived  as  to  its  height,  I  had  the  mis 
fortune  to  turn  a  back  somerset  down  a  little  slope 
in  the  yard,  which  occasioned  a  hearty  laugh  on  all 
sides  at  my  expense.  Whether  it  was  chagrin  at 
my  own  awkwardness,  or  a  sort  of  malicious  criti- 


416  IN  DANGER  OF  BECOMING  A  MOHAMMEDAN. 

cism,  I  was  decidedly  of  opinion  at  that  moment 
that  young  Arab  ladies  who  chew  betel-nut  should 
not  laugh ;  it  exposes  the  teeth,  and  shows  the  per 
nicious  effects  of  the  juice. 

When  the  merriment  of  the  fair  damsel  had  sub 
sided,  she  bounded  away,  and  after  a  short  absence 
returned  with  a  plate  of  China  oranges,  dates,  and 
bananas,  doubtless  to  make  amends  for  her  unkind- 
ness  in  laughing  at  me.  I  ate  sparingly  of  the  fruits, 
and,  having  no  excuse  to  remain  any  longer,  took 
my  leave. 

I  did  not  fail  to  call  twice  or  three  times  after 
this  to  see  how  my  patient  progressed,  and  to  give 
Rajah  professional  instructions  in  the  art  of  making 
poultices.  Whether  the  old  lady  suspected  that 
there  were  other  attractions  than  her  lame  foot,  or 
that  the  remedy  was  so  scientific  and  intricate  as  to 
require  the  most  skllilful  preparation,  I  had  no  oppor 
tunity  of  learning.  At  all  events,  I  found  her  house 
so  attractive,  that,  in  order  to  avoid  becoming  a  Mo 
hammedan,  I  was  obliged  to  discontinue  rny  visits. 

June  I4th,  1843. — AN  AUCTION.  At  the  public 
bazar  almost  every  thing  is  sold  by  auction.  The 
principal  traffic  carried  on  between  the  natives  is 
done  in  this  way.  An  auction  among  the  Arabs ! 
What  a  burlesque  upon  auctions !  Those  who 
know  the  temperament  of  this  race  of  people  can 
form  the  best  idea  of  the  expedition  with  which  such 
a  sale  is  carried  on  here. 

The  wreck  of  the  brig  Bogota  was  yesterday  sold 


AN    AUCTION.  417 

at  auction  to  Mohammed  Abdelkada  for  $1530,  with 
all  her  spars,  tackling,  &c.  Her  provisions  were  sold 
in  the  same  manner ;  and  her  oil  was  stowed  away  at 
the  consul's  warehouse,  to  be  sent  home  in  the  Rolla. 

Imagine  a  heterogeneous  crowd  of  dusky  mer 
chants  of  every  nation  from  this  side  of  the  Cape  to 
China,  gathered  around  a  shriveled  old  Arab,  the 
dallal,  or  auctioneer,  who  is  flourishing  a  ratan,  and 
shouting,  in  a  mixture  of  Arabic  and  English, 

"  How  mucha  I  How  mucha  you  gib  for  dis  1 
Very  fine  cask  !  plenty  good  new  !  Hein  ?  hem  ? 
Realle  humpsa  (five  dollars) — realle  humpsa  !  realle 
humpsa !" 

"  Sitta  !"  grunts  a  bidder,  in  a  guttural  voice ;  but 
the  dallal  is,  unfortunately,  deaf. 

"  Sitta — six !"  roars  the  bidder  in  the  ear  of  the 
dallal,  who  continues,  at  the  highest  pitch  of  his 
voice,  "  Realle  humpsa  !  realle  humpsa  !  humpsa !'"' 
and  he  raises  his  ratan. 

"  Sitta  !"  shrieks  the  agonized  bidder  ;  upon 
which,  finding  he  is  not  heard,  he  gives  the  dallal  a 
thrust  with  his  cane. 

"  Hein  ?  hein  I     Realle  sitta  !  sitta  !  sitta  !" 

While  he  is  edifying  the  crowd  with  his  eloquence 
on  this  bid,  the  Banyans  assemble  behind  some  shed 
in  the  neighborhood  and  consult.  A  group  of  Arabs 
may  be  seen  whispering  together  in  another  quarter ; 
then  they  pray  a  while ;  then  all  go  off  and  talk  in 
pairs.  Presently  a  few  stragglers  return,  and  some 
body  sings  out,  "  Sebba !"  (seven.) 

G  G  G 


418  ANOTHER    BABEL. 

"  Realle  sitta !  realle  sitta !  sitta !  sitta  !"  continues 
the  dallal,  drowning  in  his  sharp  cries  every  voice 
except  his  own. 

"  Themama  !"  shouts  a  new  bidder,  before  the  last 
has  been  heard. 

"  Tessa !"  cries  the  other,  forgetting,  in  the  slow 
progress  of  thought,  that  the  incorrigible  dallal  is 
still  shrieking,  "  Realle  sitta !  realle  sitta  !" 

Presently  somebody  gives  the  auctioneer  a  thump 
under  the  fifth  rib. 

"  Hein  I  hein  V  he  cries,  as  if  startled  from  a 
trance  ;  "  who  dat  ?"  and  then  all  is  confusion.  The 
Banyans  all  come  up ;  the  Arabs  join ;  the  Sowhe- 
lese  mingle  in  the  crowd,  and  they  all  talk  together. 
One  has  bid  seven  dollars ;  he  is  now  singing  out, 
with  all  his  might,  "Asharra!"  (ten).  Another  has 
just  bid  eight  dollars ;  a  third  has  bid  nine ;  and  it  is 
not  known  precisely  who  bid,  or  what  was  bid. 
Then  there  is  a  grand  clamor,  a  confusion  of  tongues, 
and  a  commingling  of  Mohammedan  blessings  and 
curses  unparalleled.  Mean  time  the  dallal  is  busily 
engaged  caning  in  the  most  unmerciful  manner  the 
article  up  for  sale,  said  performance  signifying  that 
it  is  "  knocked  down."  When  asked  how  much  he 
got  for  it,  and  who  was  the  highest  bidder,  he  is 
completely  puzzled.  Nobody  knows,  and  in  many 
cases  it  has  to  be  sold  over  two  or  three  times  be 
fore  there  can  be  a  thorough  understanding  of  the 
matter. 


GAMBLING.  419 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

Gambling. — Horse-racing  on  the  Nazee  Moya. — Warlike  Exercises. 
— Religious  Customs. — Visit  to  the  Interior  of  the  Island. — An 
Oriental  Scene. — Caravan. — Description  of  the  Shambas. — Grand 
Dinner  at  Hadja  Mouchad's. — Return  to  Town. — A  Funeral. 

SHOW  me  a  community  in  which  gambling  of 
some  description  does  not  prevail,  and  I  will  show 
you  a  singular  anomaly  in  human  nature.  I  had 
really  hoped,  when  we  crossed  the  meridional  line 
which  divides  the  Atlantic  from  the  Indian  Ocean, 
that  I  had  seen  the  last  of  the  vices  of  civilized 
lands.  It  was  some  consolation  to  look  forward  to 
the  primitive  simplicity  of  a  people  untarnished  with 
the  inordinate  love  of  gain — content  with  the  re 
wards  of  labor,  and  virtuous  even  in  their  rudeness 
and  ignorance.  But  such  hopes  were  not  destined 
to  be  realized.  At  Madagascar  I  found  bankers, 
brokers,  sharpers,  speculators,  and  gamblers  in  every 
possible  variety.  At  Johanna  or  Anzuan,  an  island 
inhabited  by  a  race  still  farther  removed  from  the 
contamination  of  the  world,  I  found  this  class  still 
more  numerous.  And  now,  after  a  sojourn  of  three 
months  on  the  Island  of  Zanzibar,  I  am  persuaded 
that  the  most  inveterate  gamblers  upon  the  face  of 
the  earth  are  those  of  barbarous  and  demi-civilized 
nations.  The  passion  of  the  Arabs  for  betting  and 
horse-racing  is  without  bounds.  The  highest  offi- 


420  HORSE-RACING. 

cers  of  his  highness  the  Sultan  of  Muscat  are  gam 
blers  and  jockeys.  I  had  often  known  men  to  gam 
ble  away  in  a  single  night  all  their  property,  but  al 
though  I  had  read  of  such  things,  I  never  knew  be 
fore  that  a  people  existed  who  made  a  practice  of 
betting  away  their  wives  and  families.  This  extra 
ordinary  vice  prevails  to  an  incredible  extent  on  the 
Island  of  Zanzibar.  Gambling  in  all  its  forms  is  the 
ruling  passion  of  the  inhabitants.  At  any  hour  in 
the  day  groups  of  Arabs  may  be  seen  seated  on  their 
door-steps  playing  cards,  dice,  or  other  customary 
games.  Every  Friday  afternoon  there  is  a  general 
turn-out  for  the  Nazee  Moya,  or  race  ground,  where 
the  Arabs,  Hindoos,  and  Persians  have  their  horse 
races.  Here  a  stranger  may  enjoy  an  excellent  op 
portunity  of  seeing  the  different  castes  assembled  in 
their  various  costumes. 

Accompanied  by  a  friend,  I  walked  out  to  this 
place  one  evening  to  witness  a  grand  trial  of  speed 
between  twro  Arabian  and  two  Cutch  horses.  The 
principal  part  of  the  way,  on  leaving  the  tow7n,  is 
through  a  succession  of  Mohammedan  grave-yards, 
making  a  curious  contrast.  Thousands  of  the  in 
habitants,  of  every  caste  and  grade,  from  the  opulent 
Hindoo  to  the  degraded  African,  were  hurrying 
through  the  avenues  between  the  tombs,  toward  the 
s-cene  of  excitement.  On  the  one  hand  was  life, 
with  all  its  restlessness  and  parade ;  on  the  other, 
with  its  moldering  monuments,  death,  the  end  of 
all  upon  earth. 


PICTURESQUE    SCENE.  421 

It  struck  me  as  something  singular,  that  although 
these  races  take  place  week  after  week,  and  year 
after  year,  there  is  no  abatement  to  the  eager  interest 
with  which  they  are  carried  on.  So  frequent  a  rep 
etition  of  the  same  amusement  would  seem  monot 
onous;  but  gambling  or  racing  can  never  become 
monotonous  with  the  Arabs.  The  passion  for  the 
sudden  acquirement  of  wealth  without  labor  is  in 
satiable. 

On  our  arrival  at  the  ground,  we  found  the  whole 
green,  extending  over  an  area  of  several  miles,  cov 
ered  with  an  immense  concourse  of  people.  I  esti 
mated  the  number  present  at  six  or  seven  thousand. 
All  were  anxiously  awaiting  the  commencement  of 
the  races.  Groups  of  the  various  Indian  castes  were 
scattered  over  the  side  of  a  green  slope  in  earnest 
conversation.  The  Banyans,  with  their  tall  red 
turbans;  the  Hindoos,  with  their  loose  pantaloons 
and  long  black  beards  ;  the  Parsees,  with  their  square 
calico  hats  and  tight  coats;  the  Persians,  few  in 
number,  but  conspicuous,  with  their  rich  flowery 
costumes  and  flashy  silk  turbans ;  and  here  and 
there  a  dusky  Belooche,  gave  a  picturesque  and  an 
imated  appearance  to  the  scene.  For  the  most  part, 
however,  this  heterogeneous  concourse  of  people 
consisted  of  different  tribes  of  Arabs,  from  the  sultan 
and  his  officers  down  to  the  darkest  Sovvhelian  or 
half-breed.  Ahamet  Bin  Hamees,  the  sultan's  sec 
retary,  with  his  suite  of  soldiers  in  red  coats,  was  the 
observed  of  all  observers.  Next  in  order  were  the 


422  THE    RACE-COURSE. 

officers  of  the  court,  the  castle  guard,  the  eunuchs  in 
their  plain  brown  gowns,  and  Arab  merchants  and 
tradesmen.  By  way  of  variety,  there  were  Bedouin 
Arabs  in  their  native  costumes,  Neguzzeyans,  or 
natives  of  the  Comora  Islands,  Malegash,  Sowheli- 
ans,  and  Coolies  of  every  variety.  And  last  in  the 
list  were  the  miserable  African  slaves,  contrasting 
strangely  with  the  pomp  and  display  of  their  masters. 

The  race-course  is  upon  a  clear  strand  formed 
by  the  rising  and  falling  of  the  tide.  At  high  tide 
N'Googa  (the  town  and  its  environs)  becomes  an 
island,  the  neck,  or  isthmus,  being  cut  off  from  the 
main  island  by  the  sea.  A  channel  is  thus  formed 
varying  from  fifty  to  a  hundred  yards  in  breadth  and 
about  a  mile  in  length.  The  course  is  upon  the 
margin  of  this,  and  is  a  fine  hard  strand  admirably 
adapted  for  the  purpose.  The  spectators  stand  upon 
a  beautiful  green  slope,  studded  with  shrubs  and  co 
coa-nut  trees,  which  extends  the  whole  length  of  the 
course. 

We  took  our  stand  on  a  little  eminence  about 
midway  between  the  two  extremities  of  this  strand, 
a  position  which  enabled  us  to  see  the  horses  under 
full  speed.  It  also  afforded  us  a  grand  bird's-eye  view 
of  the  whole  crowd  and  the  neighboring  scenery. 

About  half  an  hour  before  sunset  the  races  com 
menced.  Four  magnificent  horses  entered  the  lists — 
two  of  the  Arabian,  and  two  of  the  Cutch  breed. 
They  had  not  the  polish  of  our  best  racers  in  Amer 
ica,  but  were  finely  modeled  for  fleetness,  and  of 


PERFECT    TRAINING    OF    THE    HORSES.  423 

uncommon  muscular  powers.  One  of  the  Cutch 
horses  belonged  to  the  British  consul,  and  was 
mounted  by  a  Persian  in  the  consul's  service.  A 
finer-looking  rider  I  never  saw.  He  was  a  tall,  ath 
letic  man,  beautifully  formed ;  and  with  his  long,  jet- 
black  beard,  dark,  flashing  eyes,  and  superb  costume, 
made  a  striking  show  on  horseback.  The  horse 
was  a  spirited  animal  of  the  purest  Cutch  blood,  and 
the  caparisons  were  singularly  rich  and  becoming. 
The  other  horses  were  also  fine  animals,  ornament 
ed  with  gaudy  trappings,  and  mounted  by  Arabs  in 
the  richest  Arabian  costume. 

At  a  given  signal,  away  flew  the  competitors  with 
astonishing  speed.  Two  of  the  Arab  riders  were 
locked  in  a  close  embrace  :  a  custom  that  would 
lead  the  unlearned  spectator  to  fear  that  if  the  horses 
were  not  equally  swift,  either  rider  must  be  dragged 
from  his  seat.  This,  however,  though  I  saw  the 
same  feat  performed  several  times  in  succession,  did 
not  take  place.  The  horses  were  trained  so  per 
fectly  as  to  understand  precisely  when  they  are  ra 
cing  in  partnership. 

The  Persian  curbed  in  his  steed  till  his  competi 
tors  were  twenty  yards  in  advance,  a  manoeuver  evi 
dently  designed  to  show  his  skill  in  horsemanship 
and  the  superior  swiftness  of  the  animal.  At  this 
moment  he  gave  loose  to  the  reins,  applied  his  whip, 
and  dashed  like  lightning  after  them.  Now  was  the 
exciting  crisis.  They  were  within  two  hundred 
yards  of  the  goal.  On  one  side  arose  the  deafening 


424  EXCITING    SCENE. 

cheers  of  encouragement  from  the  wavering  con 
course  of  Arabs ;  on  the  other,  the  exulting  shouts  of 
the  Hindoos  and  Banyans.  High  bets  were  made 
on  the  success  of  the  Arabian  horses ;  others  on 
their  defeat,  and  the  success  of  the  Cutch  racers 
The  conflicting  shouts  of  the  different  tribes — Hin 
doos,  Arabs,  Sowhelese,  and  Africans — the  waving 
mass  of  beings,  heaving  and  swelling  like  an  angry 
sea ;  and  the  aerial  lightness  with  which  the  horses 
swept  over  the  strand,  with  the  gaudy  robes  of  the 
riders  streaming  behind  and  flashing  in  the  sun 
beams,  were  all  novel  and  exciting.  I  shouted  with 
the  rest,  and  felt  all  the  enthusiasm  of  victory,  when 
the  Persian,  applying  his  whip  with  renewed  vigor, 
passed  his  competitors.  The  yells  of  disappoint 
ment  and  shouts  of  triumph  were  absolutely  stun 
ning  when  the  Persian  shot  over  the  boundary  line 
full  three  lengths  ahead  of  the  Arabs.  It  was  worth 
a  dozen  races  to  see  the  proud,  disdainful  glance 
with  which  he  regarded  the  dense  crowd  of  Arabs 
along  the  course  as  he  rode  slowly  back. 

There  were  several  scrub-races,  foot-races,  and 
feats  of  activity  after  this,  in  all  of  which  the  Persian 
won  new  laurels. 

Toward  dusk,  as  the  crowd  was  about  to  dis 
perse,  we  were  all  astonished  by  the  sudden  appear 
ance  of  a  buggy  drawn  by  a  white  horse,  and  occu 
pied  by  two  gentlemen,  who  were  amusing  them 
selves  by  driving  over  the  beach  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  channel.  Nothing  could  equal  the  cries 


A    NOVEL    SIGHT.  425 

of  astonishment  as  this  novel  vehicle  cut  through 
die  water  and  dashed  in  among  the  crowd.  It 
proved  to  be  a  buggy  and  horse  which  had  just  been 
received  by  Jeram  Bin  Seeva  as  a  present  from 
Bombay,  and  not  knowing  how  to  manage  it,  he  had 
submitted  it  for  experiment  to  the  American  consul 

and  Captain  W .  Few  of  the  natives  had  ever 

seen  a  vehicle  of  any  description  drawn  by  horses. 
Most  of  them  scampered  away,  believing  the  island 
was  in  possession  of  the  devil.  Those  who  had 
been  to  Bombay  remained,  with  loud  cheers  of  ad 
miration.  Jeram  himself,  who  stood  close  by  me, 
shook  his  head  and  muttered,  "  No  good  dis ;  more 
better  they  send  me  something  else.  Plenty  of  devil 
come  from  dis." 

I  returned  to  the  consul's,  highly  amused  at  the 
various  exhibitions  I  had  seen. 

WARLIKE  EXERCISES. — At  stated  periods  through 
out  the  year  the  natives  have  sham  battles,  which 
are  carried  on  with  great  spirit,  and  not  unfrequently 
with  so  much  earnestness  as  to  end  in  bloodshed. 
Some  years  ago,  the  Coolies,  and  lower  classes  of 
the  citizens  belonging  to  the  different  sections  of 
the  town,  assembled  at  the  appointed  periods,  under 
the  names  of  the  sections  to  which  they  belonged, 
such  as  Shonganeans,  Bunganeans,  Melindans,  &c., 
and,  armed  with  clubs,  spears,  and  other  weapons, 
fought  in  good  earnest,  sometimes  slaying  each  other 
in  great  numbers.  The  nominal  object  of  these 
meetings  was  to  teach  the  youth  of  Tangila  the  use 
HHH 


426  WARLIKE    EXERCISES. 

of  warlike  weapons,  and  by  athletic  and  manly  ex 
ercises  to  make  them  formidable  in  battle.  When 
first  permitted  by  the  sultan,  they  were  conducted 
with  great  harmony  and  fairness.  Divisions,  how 
ever,  soon  resulted  from  the  victory  of  one  side  and 
the  defeat  of  the  other,  or  the  superior  skill  of  the 
natives  of  one  part  of  the  town  over  those  of  anoth 
er.  In  the  heat  of  these  sham  engagements  acci 
dental  blows  were  given,  which  were  revenged  by 
the  friends  or  relatives  of  such  as  were  killed  or  se 
riously  injured.  Parties  were  formed,  and  party  an 
imosity  prevailed  to  such  a  degree  that  every  fight 
resulted  in  bloodshed.  A  civil  war  between  the  na 
tives  was  rapidly  springing  into  existence.  So  dead 
ly  and  rancorous  was  their  animosity  against  each 
other  that  they  fought  in  the  streets  on  every  occa 
sion.  The  sultan  deemed  the  matter  of  sufficient 
importance  to  interfere,  and  lay  down  particular 
laws  on  the  subject  for  their  guidance.  He  also  re 
quired  the  attendance  of  a  guard  of  his  soldiers  at 
the  place  of  engagement,  to  preserve  order  and  see 
that  the  strife  was  fairly  conducted.  This  had  a  sal 
utary  effect  in  the  beginning.  The  natives  fought 
with  more  moderation,  and  no  deaths  occurred  ex 
cept  by  accident.  In  this  way  the  entertainment 
continued  a  considerable  length  of  time.  The 
guard  was  discontinued,  and  the  laws  became  relax 
ed.  Again  jealousy  and  bloodshed  were  the  results 
of  every  battle.  The  sultan  came  to  the  conclusion, 
that  if  people  chose  to  slaughter  each  other,  it  would 


SHAM    BATTLES.  427 

be  ungenerous  in  him  to  deprive  them  of  the  enjoy 
ment  of  their  innocent  propensities.  Accidents  were 
but  excuses  for  murder  and  the  gratification  of  re 
venge.  A  native  or  party  of  natives  who,  in  the  or 
dinary  transactions  of  life,  had  sustained  an  injury, 
invariably  found  means  to  avenge  all  wrongs  at  these 
sham  battles.  The  custom  has  continued  so  to  the 
present  time,  with  little  modification. 

I  witnessed  several  battles  of  this  kind  which 
took  place  in  the  public  squares ;  but  as  they  were 
only  preparatory  to  a  grand  exhibition  of  skill  which 
was  to  come  off  in  a  few  months,  no  deaths  oc 
curred. 

The  contending  parties  meet  in  an  open  square, 
in  any  convenient  part  of  the  town  agreed  upon. 
A  champion  from  each  party,  armed  with  a  club,  and 
naked  to  the  waist,  commences  the  engagement. 
After  a  trial  of  skill,  in  which  some  blows  are  given 
and  parried  off,  much  in  the  manner  of  the  Irish 
fight  with  the  shillelah,  the  combatants  from  each  side 
rush  in,  and  a  general  battle  commences.  Heads 
are  broken,  faces  bruised,  clubs  dashed  to  pieces,  and 
scores  of  the  combatants  stretched  on  the  ground. 
Covered  with  dust  and  blood,  and  panting  with  ex 
citement,  they  soon  become  a  waving  mass.  Shouts 
and  yells,  the  crash  of  clubs,  and  tramp  of  feet,  are 
all  that  mark  the  fight.  A  cloud  of  dust  covers  the 
spot.  Now  a  broken  club  whizzes  past  the  specta 
tor — now  a  defeated  warrior  staggers  out  of  the 
crowd,  reeking  with  sweat  and  besmeared  with 


428  RELIGIOUS    CUSTOMS. 

blood.  Presently  a  deafening  yell  bursts  upon  the 
ear ;  dozens  of  the  combatants  come  flying  out  of 
the  circle  pursued  by  the  victors,  who  dash  madly  af 
ter  them,  flourishing  their  clubs,  and  shouting  in  tones 
of  triumph.  The  first  grand  onset  is  over.  Those 
who  are  most  disabled  retire  a  short  distance  from 
the  scene  of  strife,  and  refresh  themselves  for  anoth 
er  bout.  This  is  sport  at  Zanzibar. 

RELIGIOUS  CUSTOMS. — If  the  ceremony  of  prayer 
be  any  evidence  of  piety,  the  Mohammedans  are  a 
truly  pious  race.  At  four  o'clock  every  morning  the 
Nazenee,  or  church-criers,  station  themselves  on  the 
roofs  of  the  mosques,  and  in  loud,  shrill  voices  call 
the  Mohammedans  of  the  town  to  prayer.  After 
this  prayer  they  return  to  their  beds  and  sleep  till 
sunrise,  when  they  have  another  at  home  prepara 
tory  to  breakfast.  Before  dinner  they  pray  again ; 
before  supper,  the  same ;  and  once  before  they  retire 
to  bed — making  in  all  five  times.  This  is  the  inva 
riable  custom.  A  Mohammedan  thinks  it  actually 
necessary  to  pray  five  times  a  day  in  order  that  his 
soul  may  reach  Paradise.  His  conduct  during  the 
intervals  has  nothing  to  do  with  religion,  provided 
he  does  not  violate  the  laws  of  the  Koran.  Relig 
ion  and  morality  are  with  him  entirely  distinct 
matters.  Want  of  one  will  ruin  him  ;  want  of  the 
other  is  a  matter  of  indifference.  On  this  account 
he  is  extremely  particular  in  the  observance  of  the 
rules  of  his  creed.  Faith  in  them,  and  a  strict  re 
gard  to  their  performance,  ease  his  conscience  of  all 


MANNER    OF    PRAYING.  429 

its  burdens,  and  satisfy  his  mind  in  regard  to  the  sal 
vation  of  his  soul.  For  an  indolent  people,  addict 
ed  to  vice,  it  is  the  most  convenient  and  comfortable 
religion  imaginable. 

The  ceremonies  are  numerous  and  complicated. 
As  a  general  rule,  the  Mohammedans  remove  their 
turbans,  kneel  with  their  faces  toward  Mecca,  and 
bow  their  heads  to  the  ground.  This  form  of 
prayer  they  repeat  at  intervals  of  a  few  moments. 
They  then  stand,  turn  their  faces  toward  the  altar, 
and  go  through  another  portion  of  their  prayer.  All 
their  motions  are  simultaneous.  A  row  of  fifty  or 
sixty  men  with  their  bare  heads  to  the  ground  has 
a  singular  appearance,  and  is  rather  calculated  to 
excite  mirth  and  ridicule,  on  the  part  of  strangers, 
than  feelings  of  reverence.  Still  they  are  quite  as 
sensible  as  certain  sects  in  our  own  country,  whose 
religion  consists  in  external  pomp,  and  whose  devo 
tion  is  evinced  rather  by  signs  and  ceremonies  than 
charity  of  feeling,  humility,  and  the  natural  and  un 
ostentatious  offerings  of  the  heart. 

June  18th,  1843. — Yesterday  was  a  day  of  ex 
citement  and  adventure,  such  as  I  have  seldom  en 
joyed.  The  glowing  descriptions  given  by  many 
of  my  Arab  friends,  of  the  interior  of  the  island,  ex 
cited  my  curiosity  in  the  highest  degree.  I  had  for 
some  time  anxiously  desired  an  opportunity  to  go  on 
an  exploring  ramble  ;  but  such  were  the  feelings  of 
animosity,  on  the  part  of  the  natives  of  the  interior, 
toward  the  whites,  occasioned  by  the  murder  of  one 


430  VISIT    TO    THE    INTERIOR. 

of  the  Sowhelese  by  an  English  sailor  not  long  be 
fore,  that  I  deemed  it  prudent  to  go,  if  I  could  so  ar 
range  it,  in  company  with  some  of  the  white  resi 
dents.  A  party  was  at  length  made  up,  consisting 
of  the  United  States  consul,  Mr.  Tibbetts,  Mr. 
Cloutman,  and  Mr.  Jelly,  three  young  gentlemen 
from  Salem,  Captain  Webb,  and  myself,  besides  a 
number  of  trusty  Arabs,  and  a  retinue  of  Coolies  to 
take  care  of  our  animals.  Bright  and  beautiful  was 
the  morning  of  the  seventeenth  of  June,  the  glorious 
anniversary  of  the  Battle  of  Bunker's  Hill.  We  were 
all  up  at  the  dawn  of  day,  had  an  early  breakfast, 
and  were  ready  to  start  by  sunrise.  At  the  door 
of  the  United  States  consular  residence  was  our  car 
avan,  consisting  of  four  or  five  horses,  and  about 
twenty  Muscat  donkeys,  richly  caparisoned  with 
splendid  Persian  saddles,  highly  ornamented  bridles, 
and  gaudy  cushions,  each  attended  by  a  Cooly. 
The  air  was  cool  and  bracing,  and  the  whole  party 
was  in  fine  spirits.  Our  Mohammedan  friends  were 
in  a  glorious  humor,  capering  and  curveting  with 
their  spirited  Arabian  steeds,  and  exhibiting  every 
symptom  of  eagerness  to  dash  off  through  the  orange 
groves  and  shambasJ*  The  donkeys,  unlike  our 
plodding,  meditative,  and  matter-of-fact  animals  of 
that  species,  were  full  of  mettle,  and  seemed  to  snuff 
the  rich  herbage  of  the  jungle.  It  took  us  but  a  short 
time  to  mount ;  and,  seated  in  the  Arabian  fashion, 
directly  over  the  hind  legs  of  our  donkeys,  away  we 

*  Plantations  in  the  interior. 


AN    ORIENTAL    SCENE.  431 

dashed  through  the  town,  headed  by  the  Moham 
medans  on  their  horses,  and  followed  by  crowds  of 
boys.  We  soon  passed  through  the  Mohammedan 
grave-yards  on  the  outskirts  of  the  town  and  reach 
ed  the  race-course.  The  sun  was  rising  in  all  his 
splendor  as  we  passed  the  Nazee  Moya,*  gilding  the 
dewy  shrubs  with  a  sparkling  light,  and  shedding  a 
golden  flood  over  the  plains  to  our  left.  The  scen 
ery  was  truly  Oriental.  To  the  right  was  a  row  of 
tall  cocoa-nut  trees,  extending  nearly  a  mile  along 
the  beach,  affording  barely  a  glimpse  of  the  ocean; 
behind  us  was  the  town,  with  its  mosques  glancing 
brilliantly  in  the  sunbeams,  and  the  white  houses 
reflecting  the  silvery  rays;  and  toward  the  interior 
were  grassy  plains,  interspersed  with  lagoons  and 
jungles,  bounded  by  a  dense  forest  of  cocoa-nut  and 
orange  groves.  The  air  was  deliciously  fragrant 
with  the  perfume  of  wild  flowers ;  and  the  whole 
scene  forcibly  brought  to  my  mind  Southey's  exqui 
site  picture : 

"  What  odors  the  voluptuous  vale 
Scatters  from  jasmine  bowers ; 
From  yon  rose  wilderness, 
From  clustered  henna,  and  from  orange  groves, 
That  with  such  perfumes  fill  the  breeze  !" 

The  gambols  of  a  group  of  camels,  as  they  start 
ed  from  the  grass  surprised  at  so  early  a  visit ;  the 
picturesque  costume  of  the  Arabs;  their  imposing 
appearance  on  horseback  as  they  swept  over  the 

*  Last  cocoa-nut  tree — a  name  given  to  a  sand  plain  near  the  last 
cocoa-nut  tree  of  a  range  commencing  near  the  town. 


432  A    DELIGHTFUL    CHANGE. 

Nazee  Moya ;  the  long  train  of  donkeys,  with  their 
riders  and  gaudy  caparisons  ;  the  half-naked  Coolies 
trotting  along  by  our  sides ;  and  the  singular  beauties 
of  the  scenery,  all  combined,  had  a  peculiar  effect 
upon  my  feelings.     I  was  delirious  with  enthusiasm. 
Did  I  dream  1     Was  I  in  reality  in  an  Oriental  land 
— the  land  of  romance  ?    How  strange,  how  delight 
ful  !     It  was  like  the  realization  of  the  visions  I  had 
so  often  enjoyed  while  reading  the  Arabian  Nights, 
or  one  of  those  enchanting  pictures  in  Lalla  Rookh. 
The  beautiful  princess  was  not  there,  but  it  requir 
ed  no  stretch  of  imagination  to  find  a  Feramoez  and 
a  Fadladeean.    After  the  miserable  life  I  had  led  for 
nearly  a  year  past,  my  heart  was  filled  with  pure 
joy,  such  as  I  had  not  experienced  since  I  left  the 
United  States.     It  was  with  difficulty  I  realized  so 
delightful  a  change.      Applying  the  ratan  to    my 
donkey,  I  dashed  on  after  the  Arabs,  soon  leaving 
the  main  body  of  the  party  far  behind.     The  animal, 
though  small,  was  very  ambitious,  and  his  efforts  not 
to   be  outdone  by  his  rivals  were  rather  amusing. 
In  about  twenty  minutes  we  entered  a  path  leading 
into  the  thickest  pa-rt  of  the  woods.     Our  course 
now  lay  through  cocoa-nut  groves  and  patches  of 
jungle,  still  wet  with  the  .heavy  night  dews,  and  af 
fording  but  a  glimmer  of  the  sun's  rays.     The  densi 
ty  of  the  vegetation  somewhat  limited  our  equestrian 
feats,  and  the  sharp,  damp  air  began  to  reduce  the 
temperature  of 9  our  spirits,  when,  pushing  through 
this  labyrinth  of  trees  and  shrubs,  we  gained  an 


SCENIC    PANORAMA.  433 

opening,  from  which  we  enjoyed  a  most  delightful 
prospect.  The  sun  had  burst  through  a  mass  of 
golden  clouds,  and  a  flood  of  dazzling  light  illumi 
nated  every  object  Flowers,  shrubs,  and  trees  spar 
kled  in  its  beams.  Before  us  was  a  magnificent 
scenic  panorama,  consisting  of  wood-land,  patches 
of  meadow,  lagoons,  clove  plantations,  animated  by 
groups  of  slaves  with  their  turbans  and  curious  cos 
tumes,  driving  herds  of  cattle  from  the  jungles,  and 
the  joyous  carol  of  the  wood-land  minstrels.  Here, 
casting  my  eye  in  the  rear,  I  perceived  our  caravan 
just  emerging  from  the  woods,  and  presently  the 
merry  shouts  of  our  party  came  ringing  over  the 
copses.  The  singular  and  imposing  appearance  of 
the  Mohammedans,  who  led  the  way,  and  the  long 
procession  of  slaves,  boys,  donkeys,  and  riders,  had 
a  peculiarly  romantic  effect. 

An  hour's  ride  over  undulating  paths,  and  through 
many  varieties  of  trees,  groves,  and  jungle,  brought 
us  to  the  shamba  of  Mohammed  Abdelkada,  a  rich 
planter,  whose  farm  is  delightfully  situated  on  the 
side  of  a  gentle  eminence  about  five  miles  from 
N'Googa.  We  were  agreeably  surprised  to  find  a 
delicious  repast  already  prepared  for  us,  under  the 
shade  of  two  wide-spreading  mangroves.  Abdelka- 
da's  slaves  had  given  their  master  warning  of  our 
approach,  and  every  preparation  for  our  reception 
that  the  time  would  permit  was  accordingly  made. 
After  our  ride  nothing  could  have  been  more  appro 
priate  and  acceptable  than  Abdelkada's  refreshing 

In 


434  PLANTATIONS. 

sherbet,  the  delicious  oranges  fresh  from  the  tree,  the 
chalottes,  bananas,  cooling  water-melons,  and  in 
comparable  lemonade.  Our  Arab  host  was  all  at 
tention,  hospitality,  and  talk,  and  each  of  us  had  no 
less  than  three  or  four  slaves  to  keep  the  flies  off, 
and  pass  round  the  refreshments. 

These  shambas,  or  plantations,  are,  for  the  most 
part,  owned  by  wealthy  Arabs,  who  not  unfrequently 
possess  two  or  three  hundred  slaves.  When  it  is 
taken  into  consideration  that  a  slave  here  is  not 
worth  more  than  ten  dollars,  and  can  be  purchased 
on  the  coast  at  a  much  lower  price,  this  part  of  the 
property  will  not  appear  so  imposing.  In  general, 
these  slaves  are  treated  with  great  kindness  by  their 
masters,  and  do  less  work,  on  an  average,  in  a  month 
than  a  Mississippi  slave  does  in  a  week.  Indolence 
on  the  part  of  the  master  begets  indolence  on  that 
of  the  slave.  Activity  and  energy  are  by  no  means 
characteristic  traits  of  either  master  or  slave.  Still, 
Nature  has  been  so  bountiful  in  this  part  of  the  world 
as  to  leave  man  but  little  to  do  in  the  cultivation 
of  the  soil.  Vegetation  here  flourishes  to  an  extent 
that  all  the  toil  and  labor  bestowed  upon  less  favor 
ed  soils  can  not  produce.  It  has  been  wisely  ordain 
ed  that  where  the  climate  is  adverse  to  great  phys 
ical  exertion,  the  wants  of  man  are  more  easily  sup 
plied  than  in  other  parts  of  the  world  differently  cir 
cumstanced. 

In  extremely  cold  regions  it  requires  constant  ex 
ertion  to  obtain  the  means  of  subsistence  ;  but  hu- 


INDOLENCE    OF    THE    NATIVES.  435 

man  nature  could  not  endure  that  fatigue  in  an  un 
healthy  tropical  climate.  The  natural  indolence  of 
the  natives  of  Zanzibar,  resulting  from  these  causes, 
precludes  them  from  the  enjoyment  of  many  com 
forts  which  have  been  thrown  within  their  reach.  A 
slight  knowledge  of  the  properties  of  the  soil  and 
the  agricultural  art  would  enable  them,  by  very  little 
exertion,  to  live  in  the  enjoyment,  not  only  of  the 
comforts,  but  of  the  luxuries  of  life.  Still,  as  their 
mode  of  living  has  always  been  different  from  ours, 
and  their  manners  and  customs  are  founded  on  pecu 
liar  religious  notions,  they  no  doubt  enjoy  what  they 
conceive  the  greatest  of  all  comforts  and  luxuries,  in 
the  gratification  of  their  passions  and  undisturbed  in 
dolence.  What  we  would  consider  an  easy  and  ra 
tional  mode  of  bettering  our  condition  and  minister 
ing  to  our  social  and  moral  enjoyments,  they  would 
regard  as  severe  and  unnecessary  labor.  I  was  nat 
urally  led  to  these  reflections  by  all  that  fell  under 
my  observation  at  the  slmmla  of  Mohammed  Abdel- 
kada.  With  a  plantation  of  the  richest  soil,  and  a 
sufficient  number  of  slaves  to  cultivate  it  to  the  high 
est  possible  degree  by  three  or  four  hours'  labor  a  day 
under  proper  management,  he  lives  in  a  dilapidated 
bamboo  hut  little  better  than  those  of  his  slaves,  raises 
every  year  a  small  crop  of  mohogo-root,  and  a  few 
piculs  of  cloves,  and  ekes  out  a  monotonous  exist 
ence,  the  sole  enjoyment  of  which  is  eating,  drink 
ing,  sleeping,  and  praying :  such  are  the  habits,  and 
such  is  the  life  of  an  Arab.  He  has  an  unconquer- 


436  VEGETABLE  PRODUCTS. 

able  aversion  to  physical  exertion,  and  is  never  so 
contented  as  when  idle.  The  soil  of  Zanzibar  is 
not  only  rich ;  it  is  rank  with  vegetable  aliment. 
In  most  parts  of  the  island  it  is  of  a  sandy  quality. 
The  nocturnal  saturations  of  dew,  impregnated  with 
strong  creative  properties,  which  keep  it  continually 
moist,  peculiarly  adapt  it  to  the  vegetable  products 
of  the  East.  Orange  groves,  plantains,  bananas, 
and  other  fruits,  grow  in  abundance  without  any  cul 
tivation.  The  clove  plantations,  which  somewhat 
resemble  young  peach  orchards,  the  trees  averaging 
from  fifteen  to  eighteen  feet  in  height,  and  being  set 
out  in  regular  rows,  require  but  little  care  after  the 
labor  originally  bestowed  upon  them  in  the  planting. 
They  yield  abundant  and  profitable  crops ;  and  so 
well  adapted  is  this  climate  to  their  development,  that, 
I  was  assured  by  the  American  consul,  Zanzibar  is 
capable  of  supplying  the  whole  world  with  this  ar 
ticle  of  trade.  The  sugar-cane  is  raised  on  many 
of  these  shambas,  and  with  very  little  labor  the  na 
tives  are  enabled  to  supply  themselves  plentifully  with 
an  excellent  quality  of  sugar.  His  highness,  the 
imaum,  has  now  in  progress  a  sugar  manufactory  on 
his  shamba,  under  the  management  of  two  English 
engineers,  who  have  just  arrived  with  the  necessary 
materials  for  constructing  the  works.  Coffee,  of  a 
medium  quality,  is  also  raised  here.  It  can  be  im 
ported  so  cheap,  however,  from  other  parts  of  the 
sultan's  dominions,  that  little  attention  is  bestowed 
upon  its  cultivation.  Cassada  and  rice,  being  the 


COTTON.  437 

chief  articles  of  provision  consumed  by  the  slaves, 
are  produced  in  large  quantities.  Ploughs  are  not 
used  in  the  cultivation  of  the  soil,  and  the  only  ag 
ricultural  implements  I  saw  were  rude  spades,  pick 
axes,  and  hoes.  From  their  ignorance  of  the  agri 
cultural  arts,  twice  as  much  labor  is  required  to  ef 
fect  what  could  be  done  in  half  the  time,  and  with 
less  exertion.  As  I  observed  before,  the  slaves  do 
not  work  hard.  Little  is  required  of  them  by  their 
masters.  Still,  that  little  could  be  done  more  effect 
ively,  and  with  greater  ease,  if  they  had  even  a  smat 
tering  of  agricultural  knowledge.  I  have  seen  slaves 
squatted  on  their  haunches,  planting  cassada  with  old 
knives,  by  means  of  which  they  did  about  as  much 
in  a  week  as  could  be  done  in  a  day  by  a  Kentucky 
negro. 

The  climate  and  soil  are  admirably  adapted  to  the 
growth  of  cotton.  It  is  not  a  little  singular  that  the 
Arabs  will  purchase  cotton  fabrics  imported  from  the 
United  States  at  an  exorbitant  advance  on  the  cost, 
when,  by  importing  a  few  Yankee  mechanics  and 
an  overseer  from  our  Southern  plantations,  they  could 
soon  raise  and  manufacture  more  than  would  be  nec 
essary  for  their  own  consumption  at  half  what  they 
now  pay.  I  saw  several  specimens  of  cotton  pro 
duced  in  small  quantities  for  experiment,  and  they 
were  certainly  equal  to  any  I  had  ever  seen  in  Mis 
sissippi  or  Louisiana.  But  what  can  be  expected  of 
a  race  who  are  degraded  to  the  dust  by  superstition 
and  religious  intolerance  ? 


438  MOHAMMED    ABDELKADA. 

In  general,  the  land  is  level — in  part  moderately 
undulating.  There  are  several  small  springs  scatter 
ed  over  the  island,  which  supply  some  of  the  planta 
tions.  The  chief  dependence,  however,  is  upon 
wells.  Owing,  perhaps,  to  the  scarcity  of  rock,  the 
water  is  in  no  part  of  the  interior  of  a  good  quality. 
Chim-chim,  the  source  of  the  creek  called  Metoney, 
affords  the  best.  All  the  water  I  could  get  at  the 
shambas  was  discolored  with  insects  and  vegetable 
matter,  and  it  was  only  when  compelled  by  sheer 
necessity  that  I  drank  it. 

Our  worthy  host,  Mohammed  Abdelkada,  treated 
us  to  the  best  of  every  thing  he  had,  and  provided 
us  with  catandas,  upon  which  we  stretched  ourselves, 
shaded  from  the  sun's  rays  by  the  thick  foliage  of  the 
mango  trees,  and  enjoyed  a  refreshing  siesta. 

We  remained  here,  enjoying  the  courtesies  of  our 
hospitable  friend,  about  two  hours,  when  we  again 
mounted  and  proceeded  toward  the  shamba  of  Hadja 
Mouchad,  a  wealthy  Arab  merchant  from  Muscat. 
As  we  advanced  still  farther  into  the  interior  the 
vegetation  became  more  dense,  and  in  luxuriance  sur 
passed  any  thing  I  had  ever  dreamed  of,  even  in  a 
tropical  country.  It  did  not  surprise  me  that  the 
malaria  arising  from  a  flat  country  rank  with  vege 
tation  should  be  so  fatal  to  the  health.  After  a  ride 
of  about  three  miles  through  a  tract  of  country  dif 
fering  only  in  this  respect  from  what  we  passed 
through  before  we  reached  Mohammed  Abdelkada's, 
we  arrived  at  the  fine  plantation  of  Hadja  Mouchad. 


HADJA    MOUCHAD.  439 

In  common  with  others  who  have  performed  a 
pilgrimage  to  Mecca  and  thrown  stones  at  the  dev 
il,*  our  friend  had  earned  for  himself  the  distinguish 
ed  title  of  one  of  the  sacred  Hadji,  which  he  had 
prefixed  to  his  name  in  commemoration  of  the  event. 
He  is  a  diminutive  and  shriveled  old  man,  with  scarce 
ly  breath  enough  left  in  him,  from  fevers  and  age,  to 
sustain  life.  On  important  occasions  he  officiates  in 
the  town  as  dallal,  or  public  auctioneer.  He  had 
received  intimation  of  our  contemplated  visit,  and 
hospitality  being  one  of  the  cardinal  virtues  with  the 
Arabs,  our  reception  was  as  cordial  as  we  could  de 
sire.  Slaves  were  in  attendance  to  assist  the  Coolies 
in  taking  care  of  our  animals,  and,  on  dismounting, 
we  found  a  great  variety  of  refreshments  already  pre 
pared  for  us.  Every  thing  was  in  the  true  Oriental 
style — fruits,  sherbet,  lemonade,  and  Mocha  coffee 
in  abundance.  We  found  the  refreshments  extreme 
ly  palatable  after  our  ride,  for  the  sun  had  now  near 
ly  reached  its  zenith,  and  its  rays  poured  down 
through  every  opening  in  the  woods  with  a  scorching 
heat,  raising  the  thermometer  fifteen  or  twenty  de 
grees  in  the  shade  in  the  course  of  a  few  hours. 
Mouchad's  house  was  large,  and  superior  in  every 
respect  to  that  of  Mohammed  Abdelkada's,  and,  in 
deed,  he  seemed  to  have  some  idea  of  the  true  prin 
ciples  of  comfort.  The  main  building  was  con 
structed  of  wooden  stakes  interwoven  with  cane,  then 

*  This  is  an  important  ceremony,  which  all  pious  pilgrims  perform 
for  the  benefit  of  the  Prophet. 


440  A   WELL-ARRANGED    SHAMBA. 

plastered  and  whitewashed.  The  roof  was  compos 
ed  of  cocoa-nut  leaves  closely  matted,  and  formed 
quite  a  shelter  from  the  sun,  though  in  rainy  weather 
it  could  not  be  of  much  avail.  At  the  back  of  the 
house  were  several  sheds,  which  were  used  as  kitch 
ens,  and  in  front  was  an  inclosure  of  several  acres, 
delightfully  shaded  by  large  mango  trees.  A  row  of 
neat  whitewashed  cabins  within  twenty  or  thirty 
yards  of  the  front  door,  at  the  edge  of  the  inclosure, 
was  occupied  by  slaves,  who  peeped  from  behind  the 
door  in  ill-concealed  amazement.  The  whole  scene 
forcibly  reminded  me  of  an  inferior  negro  quarter  in 
Mississippi.  Some  attempts  at  ornaments  were  ex 
hibited  in  the  arrangements: of  the  orange  groves 
near  the  house.  A  glimmering  of  civilized  taste  was 
also  to  be  seen  in  the  cultivation  of  a  garden,  which 
contained  a  variety  of  beautiful  tropical  flowers,  and 
had  paths  through  it  at  regular  intervals. 

The  older  portion  of  our  party  went  under  the 
shade  of  a  piazza,  and  stretched  themselves  in  a 
range  of  catandas  (bamboo  bedsteads)  for  a  siesta, 
while  Mr.  Jelly,  Mr.  Tibbits,  and  myself  rambled 
over  toward  a  neighboring  shamba  to  enjoy  a  smoke 
and  a  social  talk  out  of  the  atmosphere  of  official 
discipline.  Pushing  our  way  through  grove  and  jun 
gle,  we  reached  an  opening  distant  about  half  a  mile 
from  Mouchad's  shamba,  interspersed  with  orange 
trees,  plantain,  and  banana.  The  profusion  of  fruit 
here  was  beyond  conception.  The  trees  were  actu 
ally  bending  with  their  golden-colored  freight,  and 


PROFUSION    OF    FRUIT.  441 

under  them  the  ground  was  covered  with  the  most 
delicious  oranges  of  every  species.  So  abundant 
were  they,  that  for  more  than  an  hour  we  amused 
ourselves  throwing  them  at  the  cocoa-nuts,  which 
hung  temptingly  from  the  tall  trees  in  every  direction. 
Tired  of  our  sport,  we  lay  down  under  the  cooling 
shade  of  a  group  of  mango-trees,  and  smoked  cigars, 
and  talked  of  our  sweethearts  at  home  till  we  fell 
asleep.  Our  slumbers  were  soon  disturbed  by  a  loud 
voice  shouting  "  Yahoo !  yahoo !  American  man ! 
Dinner  ready  !  yahoo  !" 

This  important  notice  caused  us  to  jump  to  our 
feet,  and  make  all  possible  haste  back  to  Mouchad's 
shamba.  We  received  a  reprimand  from  our  friends 
on  our  arrival  for  keeping  them  waiting  so  long,  and 
were  duly  repentant  for  our  transgression.  Present 
ly  Mouchad  led  the  way  into  the  house,  telling  us, 
"  Dinner  no  very  good  ;  more  better  next  time ;  but 
eat  plenty  much  now,  and  he  give  us  first-rate  din 
ner  when  we  come  again."  The  excuses,  however, 
were  not  necessary,  for  we  found  the  dinner  very 
creditable  to  the  good  taste  and  hospitality  of  the 
venerable  pilgrim.  A  long  table  was  set  in  the  mid 
dle  of  the  room,  with  a  white  cloth,  and  knives, 
plates,  and  spoons  arranged  as  near  in  the  Amer 
ican  style  as  could  have  been  expected  from  an 
Arab.  The  table  groaned  with  the  profusion  of 
meats,  vegetables,  and  fruits,  all  prepared  in  the 
Arabian  style  with  sweetmeats  and  richly-perfumed 
sauces.  The  incense  arising  from  the  dishes  almost 
KK  K 


442  A    SUMPTUOUS    DINNER. 

deprived  me  of  my  appetite ;  but  as  soon  as  I  tasted 
the  delicious  curry,  drank  a  glass  of  sherbet,  and  ate 
a  few  cassada,  I  found  that  I  had  a  fair  prospect  of 
making  a  good  dinner.  The  meats  were  cooked  in 
sugar-juice,  and  served  up  in  a  mixture  of  gravy  and 
sirup  ;  and  mere  taste  quite  satisfied  me  that  this 
style  of  preparing  flesh  is  not  an  improvement  on 
ours.  There  was  an  abundance  of  rice,  spices, 
pickles,  cakes,  and  bread,  which  I  relished  highly; 
and  we  had  wines  of  a  very  good  quality.  The 
Arabs,  meantime,  leaving  us  to  the  enjoyment  of  our 
dinner  in  our  own  way,  ranged  themselves  under 
the  piazza,  and  squatting  down  around  a  large  dish 
of  rice,  ate  their  simple  meal  in  theirs.  Our  sump 
tuous  repast  over,  we  sallied  out  to  enjoy  the  shade 
of  the  mangroves.  An  agreeable  surprise  awaited 
us.  Under  the  largest  and  most  shady  of  the  trees 
was  a  table  containing  a  dessert  of  the  choicest 
fruits,  and  a  service  of  China  cups  and  saucers  for 
coffee.  At  a  signal  from  Mouchad,  a  train  of  slaves 
appeared  bearing  various  other  refreshments.  I  had 
never  tasted  any  thing  to  equal  the  coffee.  It  was 
the  pure  Mocha,  boiled  down  to  a  rich  essence,  and 
was  so  strong  that  a  single  cup  produced  a  sort  of 
enchanting  excitement,  like  the  celestial  dreams  of 
the  opium-eater  ;  and  no  doubt  would,  if  freely  re 
peated,  prove  equally  disastrous  in  its  consequences. 
Mouchad  entertained  us  with  an  account  of  his  pil 
grimage  to  Mecca,  and  when  he  had  concluded  we 
had  several  patriotic  sentiments  in  commemoration 


A    GORGEOUS    SCENE.  443 

of  the  battle  of  Bunker's  Hill.  It  was  not  a  little 
singular,  that  while  we  were  thus  celebrating  that 
memorable  event,  our  friends  in  the  United  States — 
equally  enthusiastic  in  the  cause  of  liberty — equally 
devoted  to  the  memory  of  their  forefathers — were 
dozing  away  in  their  beds,  heedless  of  all  the  tri 
umphs  and  glories  of  their  country !  One  of  the 
party,  a  wag,  who  had  very  gravely  broached  this 
fact,  nearly-  incurred  the  displeasure  of  the  rest  of 
the  company  by  his  comments  upon  the  want  of 
patriotism  in  America,  when  he  explained  himself 
by  reminding  us  that  we  were  eight  hours  nearer 
sunrise  than  the  people  in  the  United  States  !  Con 
sequently,  it  was  quite  natural  to  presume  that  they 
were  asleep  while  we  were  commemorating  an  im 
portant  event  in  our  national  history. 

I  shall  not  torture  the  reader  by  dwelling  upon  all 
the  good  things  we  enjoyed  at  the  shamba  of  our 
kind  entertainer.  Such  rarities,  scenes,  and  adven 
tures  hardly  admit  of  description. 

In  the  cool  of  the  evening  we  bid  adieu  to  our 
worthy  friend  Hadja  Mouchad,  and  had  a  pleasant 
ride  to  the  Nazee  Moya.  When  we  reached  this 
place  the  sun  wras  just  setting,  and  if  I  were  to  live 
for  centuries  I  could  not  forget  the  gorgeous  splendor 
of  the  scene.  Such  a  continuation  of  clouds,  colors, 
and  shades  as  hung  over  the  western  horizon,  softly 
reflected  in  the  ocean,  can  only  be  seen  in  an  Ori 
ental  sky.  A  golden  haze  gave  the  dreamy  appear 
ance  of  a  vision  to  the  mosque  steeples  in  the  dis- 


444  FUNERAL    PROCESSION. 

tance,  and  beautifully  illuminated  the  windows.  The 
tall  cocoa-nut  trees  on  the  summit  of  a  little  emi 
nence  that  intervened  added  much  to  the  scenic 
beauties  of  the  view ;  and  the  white  sand  plains  of 
the  Nazee  Moya  before  us,  contrasting  with  the 
deep  green  shrubberies  around  the  Mohammedan 
burial-grounds,  had  a  magnificent  effect.  As  we 
wended  our  way  among  the  tombs,  the  wail  of  death 
arose  upon  the  breeze.  In  a  few  minutes  we  met  a 
long  funeral  procession,  bearing  the  bier  of  a  young 
Arab  who  had  died  that  morning.  The  young 
girls  were  chanting  a  melancholy  requiem,  and  an 
aged  woman,  who  walked  beside  the  bier,  c-lapped 
her  hands,  and  with  frantic  expressions  of  grief  la 
mented  the  deceased.  He  was  her  only  son  ! 

"  Oh,  'tis  hard  to  lay  into  the  earth 
A  countenance  so  benign !  a  form  that  walk'd 
But  yesterday  so  stately  o'er  the  earth !" 


CHAPTER  XX. 

Arrival  of  a  Brig  from  the  Persian  Gulf. — A  Whaling  Skipper. — 
Suspense. — Arrangements  for  a  Passage  Home. — Departure  from 
Zanzibar. — Passage  round  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope. 

TOWARD  the  latter  part  of  July,  the  brig  Rolla,  of 
Salem,  owned  by  the  firm  of  Pingree  &  Co.,  and 
commanded  by  Captain  P ,  arrived  from  Mus 
cat,  whither  the  American  consul  had  sent  her  two 


ARRIVAL    OF    THE    ROLLA.  445 

months  previously  to  procure  a  portion  of  her  cargo. 
The  officers  and  crew  were  in  good  health,  but  had 
suffered  severely  by  heavy  gales  to  the  northward, 
and  had  much  difficulty  in  working  down  to  Zanzi 
bar  in  consequence  of  head  winds.  From  Muscat 
they  were  compelled  to  run  out  as  far  east  as  the 
Laccadive  and  Maldive  Islands,  and  then  tack  to  the 
west.  The  chief  part  of  the  cargo  procured  at  Mus 
cat  consisted  of  goat-skins  and  hides,  which  had  been 
purchased  from  the  natives  by  Syed  Bin  Calfaun,  the 
commercial  agent  at  the  port  of  Muscat. 

The  Rolla,  on  her  arrival,  commenced  taking  in 
the  remainder  of  her  cargo  (gum  copal  and  ivory 
teeth),  an-d  underwent  some  repairs.  Arrangements 
were  made  to  ship  home  the  oil  which  had  been 
saved  from  the  wreck  of  the  brig  Bogota,  and  pass 
ages  were  provided  fo-r  the  survivors,  now  reduced 
to  four;  the  rest  having  all  died  of  fever,  with  the 
exception  of  the  cook,  who  had  shipped  on  board 
the  Styx  in  place  of  Bill  Mann. 

I  was  in  a  state  of  painful  suspense  about  getting 
home  in  this  vessel.  Some  of  my  friends  said  I 
would  be  allowed  to  go  in  her;  others,  that  I  would 
be  kept  until  the  next  opportunity,  which,  very  prob 
ably,  would  be  in  about  six  months.  The  consul 
said  nothing  on  the  subject,  and  I  feared  my  prospects 
might  be  destroyed  by  any  importunity  on  my  part. 
In  this  unpleasant  situation  I  remained  two  weeks, 
when,  one  morning,  the  consul  told  me  the  cargo  of 
the  Rolla  was  nearly  all  on  board,  and  she  would 


446  OBTAIN    A    PASSAGE    HOME. 

sail  in  a  few  days.  He  had  made  arrangements  for 
my  passage  home.  I  was  to  assist  in  the  ordinary 
work  necessary  to  be  done  on  board,  stand  regular 
watches,  and  have  a  bunk  in  the  state-room  with 
the  second  mate,  with  whom  I  was  also  to  eat.  A 
young  man,  named  Cloutman,  who  had  been  in  the 
employ  of  Captain  Webb  as  a  clerk,  was  to  go 
home  in  the  same  way,  and  to  have  share  of  Captain 
F 's  state-room.  This  was  entirely  to  my  satis 
faction  ;  and  so  delightful  was  the  idea  of  a  pleasant 
passage  home  that  I  thought  every  day  a  week,  and 
had  many  misgivings  that  my  good  luck  was  too 
rare  to  be  realized.  An  opportunity  of  getting  home, 
under  any  circumstances,  I  would  have  joyfully 
seized;  but,  with  a  party  of  lively  and  agreeable 
companions,  it  was  beyond  my  most  sanguine  hopes. 
I  had  formed  quite  an  attachment  to  young  Clout 
man.  He  was  a  brave  and  clever  little  fellow,  who 
had  spent  several  years  at  sea,  and  had  passed  through 
many  dangerous  adventures.  His  mind  was  stored 
with  anecdotes  of  the  sea,  and  the  toughest  kind  of 
old  sailor  yarns ;  and  these  he  could  spin  with  an  ir 
resistible  humor.  In  size,  manner,  and  liveliness  of 
disposition,  he  strongly  resembled  my  favorite  on 
board  the  Styx,  Charley  Clifford.  It  was,  therefore, 
with  no  little  joy  I  learned  he  was  to  be  my  fellow- 
passenger  on  a  homeward  voyage  of  three  or  four 

months.     Captain  F ,.  of  the  brig  Bogota,  the 

only  other  cabin  passenger,  was  also  a  man  well  cal 
culated  to  make  the  voyage  pleasant.  He  was  cer- 


A    WHALING    SKIPPER.  447 

tainly  the  best  specimen  of  a  whaling  captain  I  ever 
knew,  and  in  manner  and  personal  appearance  the 
greatest  oddity.     I  first  met  him  at  Johanna,  where 
he  had  a  difficulty  with  the  Portuguese  on  board  the 
Bogota.     Armed  with  a  handspike,  he  sprung  in 
among  the  mutineers,  and  in  less  than  two  minutes 
quelled  the  mutiny.     The  next  time  I  met  him  was 
after  the  wreck  of  the  Bogota.     He  had  come  into 
the  consul's  office  to  make  arrangements  for  the  sale 
of  the  hull.    There  were  several  persons  in  the  room, 
among  whom  were  the  consul  and  his  brother,  Cap 
tain  Webb,  Captain  Hamilton,  and  the  commander 
of  a  merchantman  from  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope. 
The  whaling  skipper  was  a  little  abashed  at  this  ar 
ray  of  high  characters,  and,  hardly  knowing  what  to 
say,  he  turned  to  the  consul,  and  observed, 
"  Mister,  do  you  know  Joe  Dunbar  ?" 
"  Joe  Dunbar!  who  is  he  ?     I  never  heard  of  him." 
«  Why,  Captain  Joe  Dunbar ;  I  sailed  with  him." 
"  You  did  ?     Well,  sir,  I  don't  know  him." 
"  Now,  I'll  swa'n,  that's  tarnal  strange.     You  don't 
know  old  Joe  Dunbar  of  New  Bedford,  the  smartest 
whaleman  that  ever  handled  a  lance  ?     Well,  I'll  be 
darned  !     Gentlemen,  don't  none  o'  you  know  him?" 
"  No,  sir ;  never  heard  of  him." 
"  Well,  by  thunder !    that  beats  all.     I  thought 
every  body  knew  old  Joe  Dunbar." 
"  Why,  what  of  him  ?" 

"  Oh,  nothin' ;  only  he  made  a  fortune  in  the  whaling 
business.     He's  a  rich  man  now." 


448  "  OLD    JOE    DUNBAR. 

The  puzzled  dignataries  looked  at  each  other, 
whether  the  captain  was  quizzing  them,  or  deranged  ; 
but  finding  him  perfectly  serious,  they  said  nothing. 
Taking  advantage  of  their  silence,  he  began  a  long 
yarn,  in  which  he  gave  an  account  of  "  old  Joe  Dun- 
bar's"  voyages  to  the  Northwest  Coast,  and  was  just 
entering  upon  a  marvelous  yarn  in  relation  to  the 
capture  of  a  white  whale,  when  the  consul  cut  him 
short  by  saying, 

"  We'll  attend  to  that  some  other  time.  This  is 
the  place  for  business,  not  talk." 

"  Oh,  sir,"  said  the  disconcerted  skipper,  "  I  didn't 
mean  to  intrude.  I  just  wanted  to  tell  you  about 
old  Joe  Dunbar ;  'cos,  if  you  don't  know  him,  you 
had  oughter  know  him.  There  ain't  a  chap  in  New 
Bedford  knee  high  that  don't  know  old  Joe  Dun- 
bar." 

After  this  we  invariably  called  the  captain  "  Joe 
Dunbar,"  a  name  which  he  bore  during  the  whole 
passage  home.  Captain  F was  a  comical  mix 
ture  of  good  nature,  simplicity,  natural  smartness,  and 
ignorance  of  the  world.  He  had  been  in  the  whale 
fishery  from  the  age  of  sixteen,  and  had  been  ship 
wrecked  times  innumerable.  In  his  personal  appear 
ance  he  was  a  perfect  curiosity,  being  only  five  feet 
in  height,  built  like  a  monkey,  and  with  whiskers 
that  covered  his  entire  face,  leaving  only  a  couple 
of  holes  to  peep  through.  He  was  very  active,  full 
of  spunk  and  talk,  and  altogether  the  most  amusing 
character  I  became  acquainted  with  in  the  course 


HOMEWARD    BOUND.  449 

of  my  wanderings.     So  much  for  my  fellow-passen 
gers. 

August  10th. — -Light  breezes  from  the  S.S.W. 
Hove  short  at  daylight,  and  at  five  o'clock  A.M. 
beat  out  to  the  southward.  At  eight  we  were  up 
with  Choomba,  and  at  ten  duallee  bore  due  east. 
At  twelve  it  fell  calm,  and  so  continued  till  dark, 
when  a  light  breeze  sprang  up,  and  we  set  all 
sail. 

August  llth. — Beating  down  along  the  coast  of 
Africa.  Passed  Hwala,  Hoi-hoi,  and  a  number  of 
smaller  islands,  during  the  day.  At  dark,  very  squal 
ly  to  windward. 

August  12th.  —  A  fresh  southern  breeze.  Still 
squally  to  windward.  At  four  P.M.  Zanzibar  in 
sight  from  the  top-sail-yard.  Got  the  anchors  in, 
and  unbent  the  chains.  In  the  evening,  made  a  sail 
to  leeward  on  the  opposite  tack. 

We  continued  to  make  good  headway  to  the 
southward  and  eastward  till 

August  21st,  when  the  wind  fell  away.  Toward 
noon  a  light  breeze  sprang  up,  when  we  tacked  to 
the  southward  and  westward.  At  daybreak  a  barque 
and  ship  were  in  sight,  one  on  the  lee  beam  and  the 
other  ahead.  At  ten  A.M.  we  were  boarded  by  a 
boat's  crew,  under  the  command  of  the  chief  mate, 
from  the  ship  Fenelon,  of  New  Bedford,  Hathaway 
master,  one  year  out.  Learned  from  the  mate  that 
the  boat's  crew,  who  had  arrived  at  Zanzibar  about 
a  month  previously,  had  deserted  from  a  whaler  at 

L  L  L 


450  HEAD    WINDS. 

Johanna,  the  commander  of  which  had  since  had 
his  leg  broken  by  a  whale. 

From  this  date  to  the  17th  of  September  we  had 
rough  weather  and  head  winds.  In  the  early  part 
of  the  month  we  were  driven  by  strong  currents  and 
head  winds  into  the  Bay  of  Sofala,  and  had  much 
difficulty  in  beating  out  again  to  the  eastward. 

Off  the  Banks  of  Lagullas  we  hove  to,  and  fished 
for  cod,  but  without  success.  Found  bottom  at  sev 
enty  fathoms. 

September  2Qth,  made  Table  Mountain,  Cape  of 
Good  Hope,  distant  four  or  five  leagues.  Here  we 
took  the  S.E.  trades,  and  in  a  few  hours  were  "  roll 
ing  down  for  St.  Helena." 


CHAPTER  XXL 

Make  St.  Helena. — Preparations  to  go  Ashore. — Dinner  at  the  Con 
sul's. — White  Ladies. — A  Whaling  Captain. — Love  and  Music. 
—Visit  to  Napoleon's  Tomb. — Politeness  of  a  Yamstock. — Anec 
dote  of  a  Frenchman. — Departure  from  St.  Helena. 

September  29th,  1843. 

1  PASSED  a  restless  night,  thinking  of  Napoleon 
and  St.  Helena.  The  long-wished-for  time  had 
nearly  arrived  when  my  ardent  desire  to  visit  the 
tomb  of  the  exile  was  to  be  gratified.  At  the  dawn 
of  day  I  was  on  deck,  peering  through  the  gray  at 
mosphere  to  get  a  glimpse  of  the  island.  There 


ISLAND    OF    ST.  HELENA.  451 

was  a  dark  bank  of  clouds  ahead,  hanging  over  the 
horizon,  toward  which  all  eyes  were  directed.  It 
was  too  vague  and  undefined,  even  through  the  spy 
glass,  for  land ;  yet  we  knew  that  it  enveloped  the 
island.  About  sunrise  the  captain  went  to  the  mast 
head,  and  in  fifteen  minutes  the  joyful  cry  of  "Land 
ho !"  saluted  our  ears.  All  hands  were  on  deck  in 
an  instant.  The  clouds  soon  cleared  away,  and  the 
rugged  outline  of  St.  Helena  became  visible.  Noth 
ing  was  talked  of  at  breakfast  but  "going  ashore," 
"  rigging  up,"  "  the  counsel's  daughters,"  "  a  cruise 
up  town,"  &c.  Every  one  was  on  the  tiptoe  of  ex 
pectation.  The  hands  had  some  warm  disputes 
about  the  watch  that  was  to  go  ashore  and  the  date 
of  Napoleon's  death.  Old  John,  the  Frenchman, 
was  in  ecstasies,  jabbering  French,  dancing,  and 
shouting  "  Vive  1'empereur  !"  At  ten  A.M.  the  jag 
ged  rocks,  and  the  deep  ravines  between  them,  could 
be  seen  off  deck.  By  twelve  we  were  close  upon 
the  southeastern  part  of  the  island,  and  in  an  hour 
more  the  valley  of  Jamestown  began  to  open  to  our 
view.  In  passing  the  ravines  between  the  high  rocks 
we  had  some  of  those  severe  gusts  against  which 
Horsburg  cautions  mariners  to  be  on  the  look-out. 
We  were  obliged,  on  two  or  three  occasions,  to  drop 
the  top-sails  on  the  caps,  and  clew  up  the  main  and 
fore  sail.  The  top-gallant-sails  were  furled,  and  the 
colors  hoisted  on  the  mizzen-peak  and  main-royal. 
At  two  P.M.  we  cast  anchor  a  few  cables'  lengths 
off  the  pier.  There  were  in  port  a  Dutch  merchant- 


452  DINNER    AT    THE    CONSUL'S. 

man  from  Batavia,  two  slavers  which  had  just  been 
captured,  and  a  vessel  in  quarantine.  The  United 
States  consular  agent,  Mr.  Carroll,  accompanied  by 
the  colonial  doctor,  visited  us  immediately.  Cap 
tain  P ,  Captain  F ,  and  myself  were  po 
litely  invited  to  the  consular  residence,  which  Mr. 
Carroll  requested  us  to  make  our  home  during  our 
stay.  Having  heard  much  of  the  beauty  and  accom 
plishments  of  his  daughters,  I  was  not  at  all  back 
ward  in  accepting  the  invitation,  nor  did  the  two 
skippers  show  any  disinclination  to  take  advantage 

of  the  proffered  courtesy.  Captain  P very 

kindly  provided  me  with  some  "  go-ashore"  clothes, 
which  he  called  "  long-togs,"  but  I  could  not  clearly 
see  the  appropriateness  of  the  title ;  for  the  captain 
being  a  short,  thick  man,  and  I  tall  and  slim,  the 
idea  occurred  to  me  that  "short-togs"  would  have 
been  much  nearer  the  mark.  We  all  went  ashore, 
with  the  consul  and  the  doctor,  in  the  brig's  jolly- 
boat. 

An  excellent  dinner  was  prepared  for  us  at  the 
consul's,  which,  being  unusually  palatable  to  us  from 
its  novelty,  we  devoured  with  no  ordinary  relish. 
Nevertheless,  I  felt  very  awkward  seated  at  a  well- 
furnished  table,  with  a  knife  and  fork  in  my  hand, 
and  the  bright  eyes  of  several  ladies  upon  me. 

In  the  course  of  the  afternoon  Captain  F and 

I  set  out  to  explore  the  town.  Strolling  down  the 
principal  street,  I  spied  a  young  lady  seated  at  the 
window  of  a  handsome  private  residence,  very  in- 


GET    CAPTIVATED.  453 

tently  engaged  with  her  needle.  Any  thing  white, 
after  my  long  cruise,  was  truly  refreshing  to  my 
eyes ;  and  I  unconsciously  gazed  at  her  with  an  earn 
estness  that  she  might  have  mistaken  for  rudeness, 
had  she  noticed  it.  She  was  really  a  most  beautiful 
girl,  with  jet-black  hair,  a  clear  white  skin,  and  a 
killing  witchery  in  the  exquisitely-rounded  outline 
of  her  form.  The  captain,  notwithstanding  the 
hearty  dinner  he  had  just  eaten,  had  been  boring 
me  for  some  time  to  go  to  a  chop-house  or  bake- 
shop  to  help  him  to  eat  something.  Wishing  to 
stop  his  voice,  for  it  might  have  been  heard  from  the 
mast-head  of  a  whaler,  I  begged  him  to  notice  what 
a  lovely  girl  was  at  the  window  ogling  him.  By 
this  time,  attracted  by  our  voices,  she  had  raised 
her  head,  probably  to  ascertain  the  subject  of  our 
consultation. 

"  Drot  the  girl !  Let's  get  something  to  eat.  I'm 
hungry  as  the  devil !"  replied  the  captain,  in  a  loud 
voice. 

"  But,  captain,  my  dear  sir,  not  so  loud.  She'll 
hear  you,"  whispered  I,  very  much  alarmed. 

"  Yes,  I  will.  I'm  hungry  as  a  horse,  I  tell  you. 
Come,  B ,  let's  go  to  a  bake-shop  and  get  some 
thing  to  eat." 

I  endeavored  in  vain  to  bring  his  voice  within 
moderate  bounds;  for  not  only  the  young  lady, 
whose  beauty  had  captivated  me,  but  the  public  in 
general,  turned  to  see  the  hungry  strangers.  At  this 
moment  there  was  a  dapper-looking  negro  passing 
up  on  the  other  side  of  the  street. 


454  A    HUNGRY   WHALER. 

"  Sail  ho !"  shouted  the  captain ;  "  avast  there, 
darkee  !  I  say,  moonshine,  can't  you  show  us  where 
to  find  a  bake-shop  V9 

"  What  you  call  'urn,  sare  ?" 

"  A  bake-shop ;  don't  you  savey,  you  Portuguese 
snow-ball  t" 

"  Oh  yes,  sare,  I  savey — beeg  shop.  Plenty  beeg 
shop  about  here." 

"  No,  no,  you  dunce !  A  bake-shop,  where  they 
sell  bread !" 

"Ah!  dat  w'at  you  want.  Yes,  sare,  I  direct 
you." 

"  Be  quick,  then  ;  for  I'll  be  d d  if  I've  seen 

one  since  I've  been  in  town.  This  is  an  infernal 
hole.  There  ain't  nothin'  in  it.  Why,  at  the  Sand 
wich  Islands,  you  can  go  to  apoolfaree  and  get  what 
you  want ;  it  don't  make  no  odds  what  it  is,  from 

fried  ham  up  to  punkin  pie.  Come,  B ,  what 

the  nation  are  you  gallied  at  ]" 

"Nothing;  I'm  not  hungry,  captain,"  said  I,  en 
deavoring  to  get  him  away  as  speedily  as  possible. 
However,  he  steadily  refused  to  move  an  inch  till  he 
knew  w7hat  I  was  "  gallied"  at.  I  insisted  that  I  was 
by  no  means  gallied,  though  I  was  considerably 
struck. 

"  Od  rot  it !"  shouted  the  captain,  out  of  all  pa 
tience  at  my  want  of  taste  in  preferring  the  sight  of 
a  pretty  girl  to  a  good  meal ;  "  come  along  !  Never 
mind  that  'ere  gal's  skylights ;  they  won't  do  you  no 
good.  My  old  doxy  at  home  is  a  grand  sight  a 


MUSICAL    PARTY.  455 

snugger  craft.  Come,  I  want  somethin'  to  eat.  Oh 
Lord  !  if  we  only  had  a  mess  of  baked  dams !" 

This  capped  the  climax.  A  half-suppressed  laugh 
reached  my  ears,  and,  without  waiting  to  hear  any 
thing  more,  I  started  off  at  a  brisk  pace,  with  the 
captain  blowing  and  puffing  at  my  heels  like  a  short- 
winded  porpoise. 

After  tea  we  had  quite  a  musical  party  at  Mr. 
Carroll's,  composed  of  the  family  and  several  agree 
able  and  fascinating  young  ladies  of  their  acquaint 
ance.  It  was  indescribably  delightful  to  an  advent 
urer  like  myself,  who  had  been  over  a  year  among 
Portuguese  boors,  during  which  time  I  had  enjoyed 
no  other  change  of  company  than  the  American  con 
sul's  assistants  at  Zanzibar,  and  the  Arabs  and  Afri 
cans  at  Madagascar  and  Johanna.  We  had  duets 
on  the  piano,  songs,  conversational  recreations,  and 
all  the  pleasures  of  a  social  soiree.  It  was  with 
mingled  feelings  of  sadness  and  joy  that  I  listened  to 
the  "  songs  I  used  to  love."  What  delightful  asso 
ciations  were  conjured  up  that  evening !  I  felt  as  if 
I  lived  over  again  the  happiest  part  of  my  life. 
Times  past,  winter  evenings,  the  luxuries  and  refine 
ments  of  civilized  life,  the  familiar  faces  of  my  friends, 
the  happy  smiles  of  brothers  and  sisters  crowded 
upon  me,  and  filled  my  heart  to  overflowing.  I 
thought  of  these,  and  then  I  thought  of  the  past  year. 
It  was  like  a  dark  cloud  stealing  over  a  region  of 
enchantment,  bringing  with  it  visions  of  distress,  suf 
fering,  and  cruelty.  Poor  Clifford !  how  gloomy 


456  A    FORETASTE    OF    HOME. 

seemed  the  prospect  before  him,  when  all  around  me 

was  joy  and  brightness.     And  M'F ,  what  a  fate 

was  his  !  Still  the  thoughts  of  home  were  too  en 
trancing  to  be  altogether  dissipated  by  such  reflec 
tions  as  these.  The  sweet  tones  of  female  voices 
speaking  my  own  language  in  all  its  purity,  the  half- 
forgotten  airs  brought  to  mind  again,  the  sound  of 
the  piano,  the  very  furniture  of  the  room,  delighted 
and  bewildered  me.  I  could  scarcely  realize  the 
idea  that  but  a  few  hours  before  I  was  on  the  lonely 
deep,  with  nothing  but  the  sky  above,  the  sea  around 
me,  the  tall  spars  of  the  vessel,  its  rigging,  and  the 
weather-beaten  faces  of  the  crew  to  relieve  the  eye. 
The  past  as  well  as  the  present  was  like  a  dream.  1 
enjoyed  myself  more  than  I  had  since  I  had  left 
Washington;  for  all  this  was  a  foretaste  of  home. 
It  seemed  to  lessen  the  distance  which  we  had  yet 
to  go.  I  found,  too,  that,  after  all  the  novelty  of  life 
in  foreign  countries,  and  the  excitement  of  adventure, 

"  There  is  an  innate  feeling  clings 

Around  our  human  clay  ; 
A  fondness  for  familiar  things 
That  will  not  wear  away." 

Captain  P ,  and  my  whaling  friend,  Captain 

F ,  spent  most  of  the  evening  discussing  win.e 

and  sea-faring  matters  in  the  next  room  with  Mr. 
Carroll,  having  but  little  taste  for  the  pleasures  of  the 
drawing-room. 

We  slept  that  night  in  an  apartment  provided  us 
by  the  kind  hospitality  of  Mr.  Carroll.  Having 


RIDE  TO  NAPOLEON'S  TOMB.  457 

previously  bespoken  horses,  we  were  ready  after 
breakfast  next  morning  to  ride  out  to  Napoleon's 
tomb.  Mr.  Hamblet,  our  chief  mate,  and  Mr.  C lout- 
man,  the  young  man  from  Zanzibar,  joined  us ;  and, 
with  this  accession,  we  had  as  jovial  and  sociable  a 
party  as  could  possibly  be  desired. 

We  had  scarcely  halfway  ascended  the  mountain 
back  of  the  town  when  we  missed  our  jolly  compan 
ion,  Mr.  Hamblet,  who  had  very  mysteriously  disap 
peared  from  our  ranks.  Upon  coming  to  a  halt  to 
ascertain  what  had  befallen  him,  we  discovered  him 
some  distance  behind,  clinging  to  his  horse,  minus 
his  hat.  We  immediately  rode  up  to  his  assistance, 
when  we  heard  him  delivering  himself  of  a  torrent 
of  oaths,  mingled  with  nautical  observations  on  the 
difficulty  of  navigating  a  horse,  an  animal  with 
which  he  was  totally  unacquainted. 

"  Shiver  me,  if  I've  ever  been  athwart  such  a  craft, 
shipmates.  You're  just  in  time.  I've  lost  my  main 
top-gallant-sail,  and  hauled  aback  in  distress.  The 
lubberly-rigged  thing  wouldn't  lay-to,  so  I  had  to 
fetch  her  short  up,  and  run  her  off  a  point  or  two  to 
leeward  of  her  course ;  but  she  made  so  much  lee 
way  that  I  had  to  haul  her  to  port  again.  Then 
she  wriggled  like  she'd  shipped  a  heavy  s.ea,  and 
pitched  me  on  my  beam-ends.  I  righted  up,  I  tell 
you,  in  pretty  short  order,  and  here  I  am  with  my 
main  rigging  hanging  by  the  board,  and  my  union- 
jack  at  the  mizzen-peak." 

Without  farther  accident  we  reached  the  summit 
M  M  M 


458  GRAND    SCENE. 

of  the  mountain.  The  road  is  walled  up  at  the  outer 
edge  with  rough  stone,  and  winds  up  the  sides  of  the 
mountain  in  zigzag  meanders,  so  as  to  make  the 
ascent  gradual.  From  the  peak,  or  highest  emi 
nence,  the  prospect  surpasses  in  wildness  and  gran 
deur  any  thing  I  had  ever  seen.  No  effort  of  the 
imagination  can  conceive  the  natural  wonders  of  the 
scene.  Rocks  piled  upon  rocks,  till  they  actually 
seem  to  pierce  the  clouds  with  their  rugged  pinna 
cles  ;  deep  chasms  edged  with  furz  ;  ravines  and 
valleys  through  which  the  sea  gleams  like  a  sheet 
of  silver,  and  roads  winding  like  serpents  through 
the  dark  wood-land,  form  the  background.  To  the 
left  is  the  Valley  of  Jamestown,  dotted  with  white 
houses,  and  the  town  dwindled  to  a  mere  speck. 
The  vessels  at  anchor  in  the  bay  are  perfect  minia 
tures,  reminding  one  of  Coleridge's 

"  Painted  ships  upon  a  painted  sea." 

Beyond  the  town  is  Ladder  Hill,  an  immense  deso 
late  rock,  upon  the  highest  pinnacle  of  which  is  a 
small  observatory  bearing  the  British  flag.  A  row 
of  steps,  cut  in  the  solid  rock,  reaches  to  the  top  of 
this  wonderful  pyramid.  The  precipice  fronting  the 
sea  is  almost  perpendicular,  and  from  its  abruptness 
and  great  depth  forms  such  a  picture  of  danger  as  to 
make  the  boldest  spectator  shudder.  In  front  and 
to  the  right  the  scene  is  still  more  desolate  and  ex 
pansive.  Gleaming  between  the  gray,  rugged  out 
line  of  the  rocks  is  the  vast  Northern  Atlantic,  pre 
senting  to  the  eye  a  boundless  waste  of  waters.  I 


LONGWOOD.  459 

never  felt  the  littleness  of  all  things  human  so  sensi 
bly  as  when  gazing  with  breathless  interest  on  this 
mighty  panorama.  Turning  our  horses  toward  the 
interior,  we  soon  came  in  sight  of  Longwood.  Here 
new  beauties  entranced  us.  What  associations  the 
name  conjures  up  !  To  see  the  far-famed  residence 
of  the  hero — to  be  within  an  hour's  ride  of  LONG- 
WOOD,  was  worth  years  of  suffering.  It  brought  be 
fore  me  the  spirit  of  the  departed.  The  thousand 
objects  I  had  so  often  read  of — his  favorite  haunts ; 
each  hill  and  dell — all  were  familiar,  though  I  now 
looked  upon  them  for  the  first  time.  And  there 
stood  the  cottage,  half  hidden  in  trees — an  eloquent 
memento  of  the  past.  It  brought  to  mind  the  exile, 
cold,  pale,  motionless,  but  proud  even  in  the  habili 
ments  of  death : 

"Earth's  trembling  monarchs  there  at  bay 

The  caged  lion  kept ; 

For  they  knew  with  dread  that  his  iron  tread 
Woke  earthquakes  where  he  stepp'd." 

On  the  road,  Captain  F and  I,  who  were 

riding  in  front,  were  met  by  a  gentleman  returning 
from  the  tomb. 

"  Hello,  you  sir !"  shouted  the  captain,  hauling 
up.  "  I  say,  sir,  is  this  the  way  to  Boney's  tomb  1" 

"Yes.  You  can  scarcely  miss  the  road  if  you 
keep  on,  and  turn  to  the  left  where  it  branches." 

"  Ay,  ay,  sir.     How  far  d'ye  call  it  ?" 

"  Two  miles." 

"  Two  miles!"  ejaculated  the  captain  ;  "why,  dang 


460  MRS.  TALBOT. 

it,  sir,  'twas  only  a  mile  an  hour  ago.  It's  strange 
sort  of  navigating  in  this  here  country.  Thank  you, 
sir.  Good-by !"  and  while  the  stranger  was  gazing 
in  silent  astonishment  on  the  shaggy  face  of  my 
friend,  the  captain  started  on,  muttering,  "  By  thun 
der  !  this  beats  all  the  navigating  I  ever  saw.  A 
fellow  had  better  take  a  reef  in  his  eyes  and  sail 
t'other  eend  foremost,  or  shiver  me  if  he  won't  make 
all  his  headway  astern  !" 

A  pleasant  ride  of  two  miles  brought  us  to  the 
residence  of  Mrs.  Talbot,  the  present  superintendent 
of  the  tomb.  This  delightful  little  cottage  is  in  a 
secluded  glen,  sheltered  from  the  inclemency  of  the 
weather  by  towering  mountains;  and  in  neatness, 
beauty,  and  elegance  evinces  the  refined  and  culti 
vated  taste  of  its  amiable  occupant.  Her  servants 
took  our  horses,  and  she  came  to  the  door  herself  to 
invite  us  in.  We  spent  half  an  hour  in  her  cottage 
conversing  with  her  about  Napoleon,  and  listening 
to  her  reminiscences  of  his  captivity.  This  excel 
lent  lady  has  been  on  the  island  upward  of  thirty 
years,  and  recollects  perfectly  well  the  ex-emperor's 
first  appearance.  Her  reminiscences  of  his  suite, 
especially  of  the  Count  and  Madame  Bertrand,  the 
Count  de  Las  Casas,  and  General  and  Madame 
Montholon,  were  peculiarly  interesting  to  me,  com 
ing  from  one  who  knew  them  personally  and  who 
had  enjoyed  their  confidence. 

We  also  amused  ourselves  examining  the  registers, 
on  the  pages  of  which  were  the  names  of  all  the 


HEARTLESSNESS    OF    A    BRITISH    OFFICER.       461 

strangers  who  for  years  past  had  visited  the  tomb.  I 
found  some  good  pieces  of  poetry,  and  a  great  deal 
of  execrable  doggerel  in  these  books.  Of  the  latter 
description  there  were  some  verses  that  could  not  but 
excite  indignation  in  any  man  of  feeling,  containing 
jests  and  jeers  on  the  dead  body  of  the  illustrious 
emperor.  One  in  particular,  written  by  an  officer  in 
the  British  navy,  had  something  actually  fiendish  in 
it.  The  utter  heartlessness  and  moral  depravity  of  a 
wretch  who  could  profane  the  memory  of  the  dead 
by  a  burlesque  description  in  verse  of  his  removal 
from  the  tomb,  and  a  satire  on  his  fallen  nose,  should 
brand  him  with  infamy. 

Having  refreshed  ourselves  with  an  excellent  lunch, 
we  proceeded  to  the  tomb.  An  old  soldier,  who 
says  he  has  lived  on  the  island  for  forty  years,  acted 
as  our  guide.  The  former  guide,  who  had  fought 
with  Napoleon,  and  wiiose  entertaining  anecdotes 
delighted  so  many  tourists,  died  some  years  ago. 

At  a  short  distance  from  the  cottage  is  the  inclos- 
ure  in  which  lies  the  sacred  relic.  A  wooden  fence 
of  forty  or  fifty  yards  in  length,  and  fifteen  or  twenty 
in  breadth,  encircles  the  tomb,  if  such  it  can  be  call 
ed.  We  entered  by  a  gate,  and  found  ourselves  in  a 
neat  little  garden,  interspersed  with  shrubbery  and 
willow-trees.  In  the  center  of  this  inclosure  is  a 
small  square,  formed  by  iron  railing,  over  which  was 
spread  a  tarpauling  roof,  somewhat  in  the  manner 
of  a  military  tent-cover.  Of  the  tomb  I  have  but 
little  to  say.  It  is  now  but  a  moldering  relic  of  the 


462  THE    GRAVE    OF    NAPOLEON. 

past ;  a  sad  memento  of  by-gone  days.  The  guide 
opened  a  little  gate  in  the  railing,  and  told  us  to  de 
scend.  A  flight  of  crumbling  stone  steps  leads  to  the 
bottom  of  the  vault.  Here  we  found  ourselves  in  the 
resting-place  of  the  illustrious  hero.  A  damp,  noi 
some  hole,  sixteen  or  eighteen  feet,  walled  up  at  the 
sides,  and  plastered,  is  now  all  that  remains  to  be 
seen.  The  broken  and  dilapidated  stair-way;  the 
moldering  walls,  covered  with  inscriptions  in  various 
languages ;  the  loneliness  and  seclusion  of  the  spot ; 
and  the  recollection  of  the  magnificent  victories 

o 

numbered  among  the  deeds  of  him  who  had  so  long 
tenanted  this  ruin,  told  an  impressive  tale  of  the 
emptiness  of  ambition,  the  insignificance  of  man,  and 
the  power  of  Death,  the  great  conqueror  of  all. 
When  I  descended  the  steps,  and  stood  upon  the 
very  spot  where,  for  nineteen  years,  Napoleon  had 
slept,  I  felt  for  a  moment  utterly  lost  in  the  confusion 
of  thoughts  and  emotions  occasioned  by  the  novelty 
of  my  situation.  I  had  pictured  in  my  own  mind  all 
that  I  now  saw ;  I  had  lingered  with  rapture  over  the 
pages  of  description ;  I  had  from  early  boyhood  ar 
dently  cherished  the  hope  of  seeing  what  I  had  so 
long  thought  and  read  of;  now,  all  my  desires  and 
aspirations  were  realized.  It  was  no  dream  of  fancy ; 
no  vision  conjured  up  by  youthful  enthusiasm.  I 
was  in  the  grave  of  NAPOLEON  !  To  be  on  ground 
thus  famed  in  the  world's  history;  to  stand  in  the 
grave  over  which  a  nation  had  wept ;  to  have  the 
most  ardent  wish  of  my  heart  gratified  beyond  ex- 


ENTERTAINING    GUIDE.  463 

pectation,  was  an  epoch  in  my  life  too  novel  and  im 
pressive  ever  to  be  erased  from  my  memory.  The 
old  soldier  in  attendance  described  the  ex-emperor  as 
he  lay  from  the  day  of  his  death  to  that  of  his  re 
moval  by  the  Prince  de  Joinville.  It  was  extremely 
interesting  to  hear,  from  one  who  had  known  and 
loved  him  well,  the  most  minute  particulars  of  Na 
poleon's  death ;  his  last  words ;  his  looks  when  on 
the  point  of  death ;  his  funeral ;  his  position  in  the 
coffin,  and  every  circumstance  connected  with  his 
removal;  to  have  him,  as  it  were,  brought  before  our 
eyes  as  he  had  lived  and  as  he  died.  The  loquacity 
of  the  guide  was  really  the  most  entertaining  thing 
connected  with  our  visit  to  the  tomb.  I  presume  he 
has  told  his  story  over  a  thousand  times,  with  all  his 
pardonable  egotism ;  yet,  as  it  evidently  has  the  merit 
of  being  true,  and  contains  much  that  can  not  be 
found  in  books — descriptions  of  incidents  trifling  in 
themselves,  but  characteristic  of  Napoleon ;  vivid 
reminiscences  of  scenes  never  sketched  by  the  pen ; 
anecdotes  of  the  ex-emperor's  peculiarities  of  habit 
and  inclination,  and  interesting  historical  facts  con 
nected  with  his  captivity — it  is  far  from  tiresome,  and 
to  every  stranger  it  is  new.  A  daughter  of  the  guide, 
a  fair,  blue-eyed  little  girl  of  twelve  or  fourteen,  pre 
sented  us  with  several  bouquets  of  flowers,  gathered 
around  the  tomb,  to  take  home  with  us  as  relics  for 
our  friends  in  the  United  States.  The  old  man  him 
self  gave  us  leave  to  tear  some  pieces  of  plaster  from 
the  inside  of  the  vault,  and  assisted  us  in  getting 


464  RELICS. 

sprigs  of  willow  and  cypress  from  the  trees  within 
the  in  closure. 

Wishing  to  learn  every  thing  connected  with  this 
celebrated  spot,  I  gave  the  guide  a  rupee,  which  had 
the  happy  effect  of  making  him  still  more  communi 
cative.  We  entered  into  a  dialogue  as  we  walked 
round  the  grounds,  of  which  I  give  the  substance. 
Referring  to  the  presents  we  had  received  from  him 
and  his  daughter,  I  inquired  if  he  was  troubled  with 
many  applications  for  relics  of  that  kind. 

"Yes,"  said  he;  "so  many  that  I  am  obliged  to 
be  very  careful,  or  there  would  be  nothing  left  about 
here.  If  I  did  not  keep  a  vigilant  eye  on  them,  the 
French  who  visit  the  tomb  would  carry  trees,  rail 
ing,  tomb,  and  all  away  with  them.  They  are  fanat 
ics  in  their  devotion  to  things  of  this  kind  connect 
ed  with  the  memory  of  their  emperor.  Mrs.  Talbot, 
who  receives  a  pension  from  the  Prince  de  Join- 
ville  for  superintending  the  premises,  wishes  to  pre 
serve  the  few  trees  that  remain  from  injury,  and  I 
am  obliged  to  be  rather  sparing  of  my  gifts." 

"  Do  you  have  as  many  visitors  here  as  you  had 
previous  to  Napoleon's  removal  ]" 

"  Yes ;  I  am  not  aware  that  there  is  any  diminu 
tion  of  the  number.  The  officers,  passengers,  and 
crew  of  every  vessel  that  comes  into  port,  unless 
prevented  by  the  most  urgent  circumstances,  visit  the 
tomb.  When  the  body  was  here  they  could  not  do 
more ;  and  this  is  rather  too  remote  a  part  of  the 
world  to  be  visited  by  vessels  expressly  for  that  pur 
pose." 


FAVORITE  RESORTS  OF  NAPOLEON.      465 

"  The  French  seem  to  be  devotedly  attached  to 
the  memory  of  Napoleon  ?" 

"  They  are  indeed — extravagantly  so.  I  have 
known  them  to  shed  tears  over  his  tomb,  as  if  he 
had  died  but  a  day  before.  Some  of  them  are  so 
completely  overpowered  with  grief  as  to  give  way 
to  the  most  violent  lamentations.  Scarcely  a  French 
visitor  leaves  here  without  carrying  away  with  him 
tufts  of  grass,  lumps  of  the  sod,  or  any  rubbish  he 
can  find  within  the  railing.  A  piece  of  plaster  from 
the  vault  is  a  fortune  to  a  Frenchman." 

"Where  were  Napoleon's  favorite  places  of  re 
sort?" 

"  Within  this  inclosure,  and,  in  fact,  throughout 
the  valley,  he  spent  most  of  his  time.  Napoleon  was 
too  proud  a  man  to  relish  any  want  of  confidence  in 
him,  and  he  disliked  nothing  so  much  as  being  con 
tinually  under  the  vigilant  eyes  of  the  British  guards. 
After  prevailing  upon  Admiral  Cockburn  to  station 
a  cordon  of  sentinels  at  a  stated  distance  around 
Longwood,  he  never  went  beyond  the  prescribed 
limits,  although  at  liberty  to  do  so  with  the  attend 
ance  of  a  British  officer.  This  is  the  spot  where  he 
used  to  sit  and  read.  It  was  his  favorite  part  of  the 
island ;  and  he  said  that,  next  to  the  banks  of  the 
Seine,  he  should  choose  this  as  his  last  resting- 
place." 

"Was  he  always  unattended  in  his  rambles  here  V 

"  He  was  generally  alone  ;  but  he  took  great 
pleasure  in  the  company  of  his  favorites,  the  Count 

N  N  N 


466    APPEARANCE  OF  THE  BODY  ON  ITS  REMOVAL. 

and  Madame  Bert  ran  3,  by  whom  he  was  frequently 
accompanied.  He  was  sincerely  attached  to  the 
count  and  his  lady,  whose  romantic  devotion  to  him 
he  fully  appreciated." 

"  It  appears,  from  the  published  accounts  of  his 
removal,  that  his  body  was  in  a  good  state  of  preser 
vation  when  taken  up  ?" 

"Yes ;  externally  it  was  perfect.  The  least  touch, 
however,  made  an  indenture.  His  nose  was  the 
only  part  which  did  not  retain  its  original  fullness. 
It  hung  in  upon  the  bone,  and  greatly  disfigured  his 
countenance.  I  saw  him  by  torch-light,  and  a  more 
ghastly  object  I  never  looked  upon.  The  night  was 
dark,  and,  when  the  lid  of  the  coffin  was  raised,  the 
glare  of  light  shed  upon  his  pale  features  gave  them 
an  additional  ghastliness.  His  eyes  were  much 
sunken,  and  his  lips  slightly  parted.  There  was 
nothing  of  sternness  in  the  expression  of  his  counte 
nance.  It  was  rather  that  of  pain.  He  looked  as 
if  he  had  fallen  into  an  uneasy  sleep  after  a  long  fit 
of  illness.  His  liver  and  heart,  which  were  embalm 
ed  and  placed  upon  his  breast,  were  uninjured." 

By  this  time  we  had  reached  the  spring,  so  cele 
brated  for  its  excellent  water.  The  little  girl  who 
had  presented  us  with  the  geraniums,  stood  in  front 
of  it,  with  a  pitcher  and  tumbler. 

"  This,"  said  the  guide,  "is  the  spring  from  which 
Napoleon  drank  during  his  captivity  here.  He  con 
sidered  the  water  excellent,  and  always  used  it  in 
preference  to  any  other  beverage.  Visitors  to  his 


RETURN    TO    JAMESTOWN.  467 

tomb  drink  from  this  spring,  in  order  that  they  may 
say,  when  they  get  home,  that  they  drank  from  Na 
poleon's  spring.  The  French,  and,  indeed,  visitors 
of  all  nations,  frequently  take  away  with  them  bot 
tles  of  the  water,  which  they  consider  as  valuable  a 
relic  as  the  place  affords." 

Having  satisfied  our  curiosity,  we  remunerated  the 
old  man  for  his  trouble,  and  repaired  to  the  cottage, 
where  we  partook  of  some  refreshments,  and  had 
some  farther  conversation  with  Mrs.  Talbot.  Our 
horses  being  ready,  we  took  our  leave  of  these  wor 
thy  cottagers,  and  started  off,  highly  pleased  with 
our  visit,  for  Jamestown  Valley. 

On  the  road  we  met  several  specimens  of  a  very 
curious  breed  of  asses,  such  as  I  had  never  seen  be 
fore.  They  were  of  a  rough,  thick-set  make,  with 
hair,  or,  rather,  wool,  hanging  almost  to  the  ground, 
and  forcibly  reminded  me  of  the  off-hand  sketches 
of  Moreland. 

We  reached  Jamestown  about  two  o'clock.  The 
hostlers  were  standing  in  front  of  Mr.  Carroll's  house, 
ready  to  take  charge  of  the  horses.  A  more  polite 
set  of  men  I  never  saw.  They  will  do  any  thing  in 
the  world  for  you ;  but  you  must  pay  them  two  or 
three  times  over,  and  you  have  the  additional  con 
solation  of  a  vast  increase  in  their  number  during 
your  absence.  I  was  much  amused  at  the  polite 
ness  and  pertinacity  of  one  of  these  knaves.  I  had 
given  the  hostler  who  had  attended  my  horse  in  the 
morning  a  rupee.  Captain  F ,  through  kind- 


468  RENCOUNTER    WITH 

ness  or  mistake,  had  paid  the  same  man,  both  for 
himself  and  me.  Thinking  the  business  all  settled, 
I  went  on  a  ramble  about  town.  To  my  great  sur 
prise,  I  was  confronted  at  every  corner  by  a  man 
whom  I  had  no  recollection  of  having  ever  seen  be 
fore.  He  was  a  wTell-dressed,  bright-looking  Yam- 
stock,  or  native  of  the  island,  and  kept  bowing  to 
me  with  the  greatest  politeness  imaginable.  I  paid 
little  attention  to  him  at  first,  supposing  it  might  pos 
sibly  be  the  custom  at  St.  Helena  for  strangers  to  be 
noticed  in  that  flattering  manner.  At  last,  finding 
he  followed  me  wherever  I  went,  bobbing  at  me 
with  his  hat  in  his  hand,  I  stopped  short,  and  giving 
him  a  friendly  nod  in  return,  hoped  he  was  well, 
and  wished  abundance  of  health  and  happiness  to 
himself  and  family. 

"  Yes,  sir — thank  you,  sir — hope  you  are  very  well 
yourself,  sir,"  said  he,  bowing  and  scraping  in  a  per 
fect  fever  of  politeness. 

"  Quite  well,  thank  you,"  said  I. 

"  Glad  to  hear  it,  sir.  Hope  you  like  St.  Helena, 
sir.  Very  pretty  place  ;  think  I  saw  you  before,  sir. 
I  takes  care  of  horses — yes,  sir,  I  keeps  'em  in  good 
order." 

"  You  do  ?  Well,  I  hope  you  find  it  a  profitable 
business." 

"  Thank  you,  sir ;  sometimes  I  do,  when  I  meets 
with  gentlemen  like  yourself." 

"  Well,  my  friend,  I  am  glad  to  hear  it.  I  hope 
you'll  prosper  in  your  line  of  business.  Good-by; 
I'm  in  a  hurry  just  now." 


THE    VERITABLE    PILL    GARLICK.  469 

"  One  moment,  sir ;  hope  you'll  remember  old  Pill 
Garlick." 

"  Pill  Garlick  ?  Are  you  the  original  and  unadul 
terated  Pill  1" 

"  Yes,  sir  ;  I'm  the  very  man." 

"  Well,  Pill,  I'll  remember  you.  I  never  saw  you 
before,  but  if  I  ever  meet  you  again,  I  think  I  shall 
know  you.  Good-morning  !" 

"  Mister !  mister !  I  took  good  care  of  your  horse, 
sir.  Be  happy  to  drink  your  health." 

"  But  I  paid  a  man  for  taking  care  of  the  horse. 
How's  that  V 

"  Ah  !"  sighed  Pill,  with  a  grave  shake  of  the  head 
and  a  melancholy  smile  of  commiseration,  "you paid 
the  wrong  man !  If  you  pay  me,  you  can't  mistake 
the  person  again,  sir." 

Amused  at  the  effrontery  of  the  rogue,  I  gave  him 
a  shilling,  and  advised  him  never  again  to  let  the 
light  of  his  countenance  shine  upon  me,  for  both  of 
which  (the  shilling  and  the  advice)  he  thanked  me 
very  cordially,  wished  me  a  pleasant  voyage  home, 
and  kept  bowing  at  me,  and  scraping  the  pavement 
with  his  feet,  till  I  lost  sight  of  him,  and,  for  all  I 
know  to  the  contrary,  he  may  be  bobbing  away 
there  in  the  same  polite  manner  still. 

In  the  course  of  the  afternoon  I  was  favored  with 
numerous  anecdotes  of  what  had  occurred  at  the 
tomb  of  Napoleon  within  Mr.  Carroll's  recollection. 
I  was  particularly  amused  at  an  account  of  an  iras 
cible  Frenchman,  who  conceived  himself  insulted  by 


470  AN    IRASCIBLE    FRENCHMAN. 

a  Yankee.  Though  such  an  anecdote  must  lose 
in  the  repetition,  I  shall  give  it  as  nearly  as  possible 
in  the  language  of  the  narrator. 

An  Englishman  some  years  since  visited  the  tomb, 
and  indited  in  the  register  a  verse  on  the  ex-emperor 
to  this  effect: 

"  BONEY  was  a  great  man, 

A  soldier  brave  and  true, 
But  Wellington  did  lick  him  at 
The  field  of  Waterloo." 

This  was  not  in  very  good  taste,  nor  exactly  such 
an  allusion  as  an  Englishman  should  be  guilty  of  at 
the  tomb  of  a  conquered  foe.  Nevertheless,  it  con 
tained  indisputable  truths.  A  Yankee  visited  the 
place  a  few  days  after.  Determined  to  punish  the 
braggart  for  so  illiberal  and  unmanly  an  attack  on  the 
dead,  he  wrote,  immediately  under  it, 

"  But  greater  still,  and  braver  far, 

And  tougher  than  shoe-leather, 
Was  WASHINGTON,  the  man  wot  could 
Have  licked  'em  both  together." 

The  next  visitor  was  a  Frenchman,  who,  like  all 
his  countrymen,  was  deeply  attached  to  the  memory 
of  Napoleon.  When  he  read  the  first  lines  he  ex 
claimed,  with  looks  of  horror  and  disgust, 

"  Mon  Dieu !  duel  sacrilege  !  Sans  douts,  1'An- 
glais  sont  grands  cochons  !" 

The  Yankee  skipper's  addition  next  attracted  his 
eye.  He  started  as  he  read ;  gasped,  grinned,  read 
the  lines  again  ;  then,  dashing  his  hands  in  his  hair, 
danced  about  the  room  in  a  paroxysm  of  indignation, 


POPULATION  OF    JAMESTOWN.  471 

screaming  "  Sacre  diable  !  Monsieur  Bull  is  one 
grand  brute,  but  le  frere  Jonathan  is  one  savage  hor 
rible  !  Sacre  !  sacre !  I  challenge  him  !  I  shall 
cut  him  up  in  vera  small  pieces  !" 

He  called  for  his  horse,  rode  post-haste  to  town, 
and  sought  the  Yankee  every  where.  Alas,  the  bird 
had  flown  !  A  ship  had  just  sailed;  the  skipper  was 
gone  ! 

Un appeased  in  his  wrath,  the  Frenchman  called 
upon  the  consul  for  redress,  but  was  told  redress 
could  not  be  had  there.  Straightway  went  the  en 
raged  man  with  his  complaint  to  the  governor.  His 
excellency  reasoned  with  him,  moralized,  philoso 
phized,  but  to  no  purpose.  Nothing  would  satisfy 
the  irascible  Frenchman  but  the  erasure  of  the  of 
fensive  lines,  which,  by  order  of  the  governor,  were 
stricken  from  the  register. 

Jamestown  is  a  pleasant  little  place,  containing  a 
population  of  about  fifteen  hundred.  The  houses 
are  neat,  and  many  of  them  even  elegant.  There  is 
great  variety  in  the  population.  Those  born  on  the 
island  are  of  the  complexion  of  the  Portuguese,  and 
are  called  Yamstocks.  The  upper  classes  are  very- 
intelligent  and  polite,  and  the  society  is  good.  The 
number  of  children  in  Jamestown,  from  the  ages  of 
six  to  twelve,  is  almost  incredible.  From  sunrise  to 
sunset  the  streets  are  literally  swarmed  with  them. 
I  thought  Terceira  surpassed  every  other  island  in 
the  Atlantic  in  that  respect,  but  the  fecundity  of  the 
women  in  St.  Helena  is  beyond  all  competition. 


472          VEGETABLE  PRODUCTIONS. 

Within  a  few  years,  hundreds  of  children  have  been 
sent  from  St.  Helena  to  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope. 
Still  there  seems  to  be  a  sufficient  number  left  to  peo 
ple  all  the  uninhabited  portions  of  the  globe  in  a  few 
generations. 

I  visited  the  market- house  early  on  the  morning 
after  our  arrival,  and  found  much  there  to  interest 
me.  From  the  general  descriptions  I  had  read  of  the 
sterility  of  this  island,  I  had  supposed  that  it  produced 
little  or  nothing  in  the  way  of  vegetables.  It  quite 
surprised  me  to  find  that,  so  far  from  that,  there  was 
an  abundance  of  very  good  vegetables  in  the  market. 
I  saw  pumpkins  and  water-melons  equal  in  size  to 
any  I  had  ever  seen  before.  There  were  also  small, 
round  potatoes,  middling-sized  turnips,  cabbage, 
greens,  plums,  and  pears.  The  products  of  the  isl 
and  are  sufficient  for  its  population.  Owing  to  the 
great  demand  for  vegetables,  caused  by  the  number 
of  vessels  constantly  stopping  at  St.  Helena  on  their 
passage  home  from  the  Indian  Seas,  the  prices  are 
proportionably  high.  Captains  of  vessels  are  apt  to 
deem  these  prices  exorbitant ;  but  they  should  recol 
lect  the  great  difficulty  of  raising  crops  on  a  pile  of 
desolate  rocks ;  besides,  the  natives  have  no  other 
protection.  It  can  not  be  expected  that  they  should 
give  the  food  out  of  their  own  mouths  without  re 
ceiving  sufficient  to  compensate  them  for  their  dep 
rivations. 

The  water  at  St.  Helena  is  the  purest  and  best, 
perhaps,  in  the  world.  That  which  is  made  use  of 


FORTIFICATIONS.  473 

by  vessels  is  procured  from  a  spring  near  the  pier, 
gushing  from  the  solid  rock.  A  ship's  long-boat, 
with  three  or  four  casks,  can  run  under  this  spring, 
and  obtain  a  load  without  any  trouble. 

Our  stay  was  so  short  that  I  could  learn  but  little 
in  relation  to  the  civil  regulations  of  the  place.  The 
laws,  I  was  told,  are  strict  and  severe.  The  British 
governor  rules  the  colony  with  despotic  sway.  The 
present  incumbent,  however,  is  a  man  of  good  sense 
and  humanity ;  and  St.  Helena  being  rather  a  mil 
itary  station  than  an  ordinary  settlement,  strictness 
in  the  administration  of  the  laws  is  absolutely  indis 
pensable. 

There  is  a  formidable  battery  fronting  the  harbor, 
upon  which  the  British  soldiers  may  be  seen  parad 
ing  at  all  hours  of  the  day.  The  heavy  guns  cover 
every  part  of  the  anchorage,  and  leave  no  chance  for 
the  entrance  of  an  enemy's  vessels  of  war.  The 
most  striking  feature  in  the  fortifications  of  St.  Helena 
is  to  be  seen  on  approaching  the  harbor.  In  the 
highest  rocks,  which  one  would  suppose  to  be  inac 
cessible,  are  holes  through  which  the  muzzles  of  can 
non  protrude.  What  is  most  extraordinary,  the 
rocks  are  so  nearly  perpendicular  as  to  preclude  the 
idea  of  getting  those  heavy  weapons  of  defense  up 
from  the  water;  and  I  could  account  for  their  ap 
pearance  there  in  no  other  way  than  by  supposing 
they  were  lowered  from  above  by  ropes.  The  labor 
that  it  required  to  dig  these  holes  in  solid  rock  must 
have  been  very  great.  Sentinels  are  stationed  at 
O  o  o 


474  DEPARTURE. 

each  gun,  who  are  relieved  at  regular  periods  during 
the  day  and  night.  The  necessity  for  all  this  vigi 
lance,  since  the  removal  of  Napoleon's  remains,  I 
could  not  clearly  see.  St.  Helena  certainly  is  not  an 
island  of  so  attractive  an  aspect  as  to  invite  attack 
for  the  purpose  of  territorial  acquisition. 

Captain  P had  procured  all  the  necessary  re 
freshments  by  evening ;  and  having  taken  an  affec 
tionate  leave  of  the  consul  and  his  family,  we  all 
went  on  board  the  Rolla.  In  fifteen  minutes  the 
anchor  was  up.  The  Dutch  merchantman  had  al 
ready  hove  short,  and  by  sundown  we  were  steering 
in  company  for  home,  with  all  sail  set. 

The  bustle  and  confusion  of  departure  over,  the 
crew  seated  themselves  on  the  scuttle,  or  lounged 
about  the  forecastle,  talking  of  what  they  had  seen. 
Old  John,  the  Frenchman,  leaned  against  the  bul 
wark,  and  gazed  silently  at  the  receding  rocks.  1 
quietly  approached  him,  and  asked  him  what  he 
thought  of  Napoleon  and  St.  Helena.  He  turned 
his  face  toward  me,  and  I  could  see  the  tears  steal 

down  his  cheeks  as  he  replied,  "  Ah,  Mr.  B ,  it 

was  a  hard  fate !  I  never  knew  how  hard  it  was  be 
fore.  It  reminds  me  of  a  song  I  learned  when  I  was 
about  your  age  : 

"  '  Adieu,  Patrie  !  adieu,  Patrie  /'  " 

Here  John  attempted  to  sing  me  the  Exile's  Lament 
on  bidding  adieu  to  his  country ;  but,  overpowered 
by  emotion,  he  buried  his  face  in  his  hands,  and  was 
silent.  I  respected  his  affection  for  the  dead,  and 
left  him  to  the  indulgence  of  his  feelings. 


FALL    IN    LOVE    WITH    A    L GG.  475 

Slowly  and  mournfully  the  dark  shadows  of  night 
were  stealing  over  the  island.  I  sat  upon  the  taff- 
rail  and  gazed  upon  it,  as  it  grew  more  indistinct  each 
moment.  Now  it  was  but  a  dark  mass  of  rocks, 
with  a  rugged  outline  ;  now,  an  undefined  object, 
half  hidden  in  the  darkening  twilight ;  now  the  eye 
could  scarcely  recognize  it  in  the  depths  of  the 
gloom.  Thoughts  of  the  few  happy  hours  I  had 
spent  there ;  of  all  I  had  seen  and  experienced  with 
in  so  short  a  period ;  the  genuine  hospitality  of  the 
warm-hearted  strangers  who  had  been  so  kind  to 
me ;  the  associations  connected  with  this  desolate 
spot,  awoke  within  me  many  emotions  of  regret,  and 
vague,  melancholy  reflections  on  the  fleeting  triumphs 
of  ambition. 

That  night,  inspired  by  visions  of  the  beauty  of  a 
young  lady  to  whom  I  had  been  introduced  on  the 
island,  I  went  below,  and  perpetrated,  for  the  first 
time  in  my  life,  a  desperate  attempt  at  poetry.  I 
have  not  been  very  hard  upon  the  reader  in  this  re 
spect,  and,  regarding  my  narrative  somewhat  in  the 
light  of  a  confession,  I  claim  indulgence  for  the  fol 
lowing  rash  effort : 

Lines  on  Miss  L — gg. 
To  the  sweet  little  valley  of  Jamestown  I  came, 

Ne'er  dreaming  with  danger  'twas  fraught ; 
After  whaling  a  year,  oh,  I  tell  it  with  shame, 

On  the  pin-hook  of  love  I  got  caught. 

Long  years  in  my  heart  this  misfortune  will  rankle, 

And  the  reason  you'll  notice,  I  beg ; 
While  others,  from  taste,  fall  in  love  with  an  ankle, 

Too  fondly  I  loved  a  whole  L — gg  ! 


476        SKETCH  OF  A  GOOD  CAPTAIN. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

Sketch  of  a  good  Captain. — Amusements. — Dana's  Narrative. — A 
pattern  Husband. — Baffling  Winds. — The  Gulf  Stream. — A  Ves 
sel  abandoned. — Land  Ho  ! — The  Captain's  Wit. — Make  Cape 
Cod  Light-house. — Hospitality  of  the  Citizens  of  Salem. — Bad 
News. — Arrival  in  Washington. — Visit  to  the  West. — Changes. — 
Home  and  its  Pleasures. 

CAPTAIN  P was  the  very  antipodes  of  my  old 

whaling  skipper.  Never  had  I  met  with  a  more  gen 
erous  and  warm-hearted  man,  or  a  better  friend  in 
every  respect.  He  was  kind  to  his  crew,  respected 
their  feelings,  and  did  all  in  his  power  to  promote 
their  comfort.  At  the  same  time,  he  preserved  dis 
cipline,  and  made  every  man  know  his  place.  A 
better  sailor  never  walked  a  ship's  planks.  He  un 
derstood  his  duty  from  beginning  to  end,  kept  within 
the  bounds  of  his  authority,  and,  while  faithful  to  the 
interest  of  the  owners,  gave  the  crew  their  full  com 
plement  of  provisions,  and  encouraged  them  in  all 
their  enjoyments.  The  consequence  was  that  they 
respected  him,  and  made  themselves  active  and  use 
ful.  Brave,  energetic,  and  liberal,  he  set  an  exam 
ple  that  excited  the  emulation  of  all  on  board.  No 
man  flinched  from  danger,  avoided  work,  or  refused 
to  share  the  best  he  had  with  his  shipmates. 

I  have  said  that  the  captain  was  fond  of  fun.  It 
was,  in  fact,  the  chief  ingredient  in  his  nature.  Our 
passenger,  Captain  F ,  was  the  subject  of  his 


DANA'S  NARRATIVE.  477 

best  jokes.  The  ex-whaleman  had  a  superabund 
ance  of  good-nature,  but  was  too  credulous  for  an 

old  joker  like  Captain  P .     There  was  but  one 

subject  upon  which  he  really  disliked  to  be  quizzed, 
and  any  allusion  to  that  made  him  very  angry — a 
paragraph  in  Mr.  Dana's  Narrative,  which  had  a  di 
rect  bearing  upon  his  seamanship.  Now  a  sea-cap 
tain  is  as  sensitive  about  his  seamanship  as  a  poet  is 
about  his  verses.  Dana  speaks  of  a  whaler  which 
he  visited  on  the  northwest  coast,  and  describes  the 
captain  as  a  "  slab-sided  Quaker,"  the  hands  as  an 
awkward  set  of  backwoodsmen,  and  the  whole  cut 
and  rig  of  the  vessel  as  neither  tidy  nor  shipshape. 
This,  it  happened,  was  the  very  vessel  in  which  Cap 
tain  F performed  his  first  voyage  as  mate.  The 

allusion  to  her  untidiness  was  something  he  could 
not  digest.  Captain  P and  myself  took  partic 
ular  pleasure  in  denouncing  whalers,  and  always 
quoted  this  passage  in  support  of  our  position.  The 
fun  we  enjoyed  in  this  way  kept  the  whole  ship 
alive.  It  soon  found  its  way  to  the  forecastle,  and 
the  ex- whaleman  was  quizzed  on  all  sides.  At  last, 
unable  to  bear  it  any  longer,  he  swore  he  would 
knock  the  first  man  down  who  alluded  to  the  "  vil- 
lanous  libel,"  and  signified  his  intention  of  going  to 
Boston  as  soon  as  the  Rolla  anchored  in  Salem  har 
bor,  hunting  up  Mr.  Dana,  and  giving  him  a  most 
terrible  thrashing.  It  was  impossible,  however,  to 
prevent  some  sly  hints  once  in  a  while  about  the 
"  slab-sided  captain"  and  the  "  lubberly  whaler." 


478  A    PATTERN    HUSBAND. 

On  our  passage  from  St.  Helena  we  amused  our 
selves  making  miniature  ships,  working  lunars,  prick 
ing  our  progress  on  the  charts,  and  talking  of  home 
during  our  leisure  hours,  and  doing  the  usual  small 
jobs  about  the  vessel  when  on  duty. 

There  was  one  trait  in  Captain  P 's  charac 
ter  for  which  I  warmly  esteemed  him :  his  devotion 
to  his  wife  and  children.  Not  content  with  descant 
ing  upon  their  merits,  he  spent  an  hour  every  fore 
noon  reading  a  package  of  letters  written  by  his  wife 
to  entertain  him  during  his  long  voyage ;  and  every 
night  he  regularly  wrote  her  an  account  of  the  pro 
ceedings  of  the  day,  signed  and  directed  as  if  for 
the  mail.  This  arrangement,  dictated  by  affection, 
brought  the  devoted  couple  in  mutual  communion. 
While  thus  separated,  the  wife  had  all  the  letters  of 
the  preceding  voyage  to  read,  and  the  husband  all 
those  interesting  little  details  of  domestic  life  which 
had  transpired  during  his  previous  absence,  to  make 
up  for  the  deprivation  of  being  separated  from  those 
he  loved. 

Wafted  along  by  pleasant  trade-winds,  nothing 
occurred  to  relieve  the  monotony  of  our  passage  till 

October  14th,  when  we  crossed  the  line,  in  long. 
35°  20'  west.  This  is  always  an  interesting  epoch 
in  sea  life,  and  was  none  the  less  so  to  me  from  the 
fact  that,  once  across  the  line,  it  seemed  as  if  we 
were  more  in  the  neighborhood  of  home  than  even 
a  few  leagues  to  the  southward.  The  rest  of  our 
passage  may  be  summed  up  in  a  brief  log. 


MEET    AN    ABANDONED    VESSEL.  479 

October  18th. — Lost  the  trades  in  lat.  7°  north. 
From  this  date  till  the  23d  we  had  light  and  baffling 
winds,  heavy  rains,  squalls,  and  calms. 

In  lat.  13°*took  the  N.E.  trades,  which  continued 
till  we  reached  lat.  30°. 

In  32°  had  N.W.  gales. 

November  llth. — Entered  the  Gulf  Stream,  after 
much  bad  weather.  In  this  dark  and  dreary  nest  of 
storms  we  had  strong  N.,  N.  by  W.,  N.N.W.,  and 
N.W.  gales.  Lay  to  three  days  under  "close-reefed 
main-top-sails  and  fore-top-mast  stay-sail.  Made  our 
exit  in  37°  30'  north. 

November  16th. — Gulf  astern,  looking  like  a  thick, 
dark  bank  of  clouds.  Some  of  the  men  on  the  bow 
descried  a  vessel  ahead,  three  or  four  leagues  distant, 
without  sail,  and  apparently  in  distress.  At  two 
P.M.  made  sail  for  her,  and  at  four  came  up  and 
rounded  to  under  her  lee.  She  proved  to  be  the 
schooner  Mirror,  of  Newburyport,  Rhode  Island. 
Boarded  her,  and  found  her  abandoned.  Her  sails 
hung  in  ribbons  on  her  spars;  the  fore-yard  was 
gone ;  the  fore-top-sail  yard  swinging  by  the  hal 
liards,  braces  drifting  overboard,  and  rigging  in  great 
disorder.  There  was  no  water  in  her  hold,  though 
she  had  apparently  been  abandoned  but  a  few  days, 
evidently  in  consequence  of  the  loss  of  her  sails. 
Her  cargo  was  plaster  of  Paris.  The  cabin  was 
lined  with  bird's-eye  maple,  and  in  good  order,  but 
without  bedding  or  furniture,  except  the  China- 
ware,  which  was  carefully  stowed  away  in  her  lock- 


480  LAND    HO ! 

ers.  There  was  also  in  one  of  the  lockers  the  rem 
nant  of  a  meal  recently  cooked.  We  procured  from 
the  hold  two  barrels  of  good  potatoes,  a  few  blocks, 
some  loose  rigging,  and  whatever  else  we  could  con 
veniently  carry  away  in  the  boat. 

November  Ylih. — Rain,  and  thick  foggy  weather. 
Got  the  anchors  on  the  bow.  At  one  A.M.  sound 
ed  in  forty-two  fathoms,  muddy  bottom. 

"  Land  ho  !"  shouted  the  captain,  who  had  been 
on  deck  most  of  the  night  anxiously  looking  out. 
"  Land  ho  !  you  lubbers !  What  are  you  all  about  1" 

"  Where  away,  sir  V  cried  several  of  the  crew, 
running  aft  with  joy  in  their  faces.  "  We  can't  see 
it,  sir." 

"  What  land  T  asked  the  mate. 

"  Land  ho  !  land  ho  !"  yelled  the  captain. 

"  Where  is  it,  sir  1"  demanded  a  chorus  of  voices. 

"  Here  in  my  hand,  you  boobies  !"  coolly  rejoined 
the  captain,  holding  up  the  lead.  "  This  is  land  ; 
smell  it !" 

Of  course  every  body  laughed  at  the  joke,  and 
bore  the  disappointment  with  becoming  good-humor. 

That  night,  however,  we  made  Cape  Cod  light 
house.  There  was  no  deception  about  this.  All 
hands  were  frantic  with  delight,  and  nobody  thought 
of  turning  in  on  so  joyous  an  occasion.  I  can  not 
describe  the  strange  sensations  I  experienced  when 
we  passed  Boston  harbor,  and  saw  all  the  ships  and 
houses  lining  the  shores.  There  was  something 
novel  in  the  civilized  aspect  of  the  whole  scene,  for 


GENEROSITY    OF    CAPTAIN    P.  481 

I  had  become  so  accustomed  to  Arabian  dows,  ca 
noes,  bamboo  hats,  and  cocoa-nut  trees,  that  I  was 
almost  a  stranger  to  every  thing  bearing  the  marks 
of  civilization.  The  Salem  pilot  boarded  us  during 
the  morning,  and  that  afternoon,  the  19th  of  No 
vember,  we  cast  anchor  in  Salem  harbor.  I  expe 
rienced  no  unusual  sensations  of  pleasure  in  getting 
ashore.  Regret  at  parting  with  the  crew  greatly 
predominated  over  every  other  feeling.  I  had  be 
come  warmly  attached  to  many  of  them,  and  it  was 
sad  to  think  I  should  most  probably  never  see  them 
again. 

Captain  P insisted  upon  making  me  his  guest 

for  a  few  days,  or  as  long  as  I  wished  to  stay.  I 
could  not  resist  so  kind  an  invitation,  anxious  as  I 
was  to  start  for  home. 

The  genuine  hospitality  of  my  sea-faring  friend, 
the  attention  and  kindness  of  his  estimable  lady,  and 
their  generosity  in  providing  me  with  clothes  and 
other  necessaries,  made  an  impression  upon  my  heart 
which  time  can  not  erase.  I  enjoyed  a  week's  unal 
loyed  pleasure  under  their  roof,  and  though,  in  the 
course  of  my  life,  I  have  met  with  many  people  who 
made  a  greater  dash  in  the  world,  and  a  more  im 
posing  parade  of  their  virtues,  never  has  it  been  my 
fortune  to  know  a  more  affectionate,  generous,  and 
deserving  couple  than  this  honest  mariner  and  his 
wife. 

I  can  not  bid  adieu  to  Salem  without  acknowledg 
ing  the  disinterested  kindness  with  which  I  was 

P  p  p 


482  MELANCHOLY    NEWS. 

treated  by  every  citizen  of  that  place  with  whom  I 
became  acquainted,  and,  indeed,  by  many  who  were 
total  strangers  to  me.  I  look  back  upon  my  short 
sojourn  there  with  mingled  feelings  of  pleasure  and 
regret.  In  a  single  week  I  made  more  warm-heart 
ed  friends  in  Salem  than  I  had  ever  made  any  where 
during  twice  the  time.  As  to  the  ladies,  bless  their 
noble  souls,  I  love  them — every  one !  Is  it  not  sad 
to  part  with  friends  and  associations  so  dear  to  the 
way-faring  pilgrim  ? 

On  my  arrival  in  New  York  I  called  upon  an  old 
family  friend,  who  gave  me  the  first  news  from  home 
I  had  received  since  my  departure  from  Washington, 
and  communicated  the  melancholy  intelligence  of 
the  death  of  a  younger  brother.  The  unhappy  tid 
ings,  so  unexpected,  shocked  me  more  than  words 
can  tell.  I  had  left  him  in  the  enjoyment  of  health, 
and  in  the  very  morning  of  life.  Scarcely  a  week 
had  elapsed  since  I  had  sent  a  letter  from  Salem, 
containing  an  affectionate  remembrance  to  him,  and 
an  allusion  to  some  little  presents  which  I  hoped  soon 
to  hand  him  in  person. 

Without  making  any  stay  in  New  York,  I  pro 
ceeded  to  Washington,  and  arrived  there  on  the  28th 
of  November,  having  been  absent  nearly  seventeen 
months. 

I  was  extremely  anxious  to  continue  on  to  Louis 
ville.  It  was  my  home.  I  was  comparatively  a 
stranger  in  Washington,  and  longed  to  be  once  more 
among  friends  and  kindred.  This  pleasure  was  de- 


ARRIVAL    HOME.  483 

nied  me.  I  had  to  give  my  last  cent  to  a  porter,  and, 
after  all  the  perils  and  hardships  of  the  past  year,  the 
only  resource  left  me  was  to  set  to  work  and  earn 
money  enough  to  carry  me  home ! 

Congress  was  about  to  convene,  and  I  was  just  in 
time  to  make  an  engagement  for  the  session.  At 
the  expiration  of  seven  months,  during  which  time  I 
worked  hard  at  my  business  as  a  reporter,  I  set  out 
for  Kentucky,  where  I  arrived  after  a  pleasant  trip 
across  the  mountains. 

Two  years  and  a  half  had  produced  many  changes 
in  Louisville.  My  old  acquaintances  were  grown 
out  of  my  recollection,  married,  or  scattered  over  the 
country.  I  met  few  who  recognized  me,  and  none 
who  did  so  without  difficulty.  Forgetting  that  /  had 
altered  too,  it  mortified  me  to  think  I  was  so  soon 
forgotten.  Even  the  houses  looked  new  and  strange 
to  me,  and  reminded  me  that  I  had  been  a  wanderer, 
It  was  now  more  than  a  year  since  the  death  of 
my  brother,  and  the  natural  gloom,  caused  by  the  cir 
cumstances  under  which  I  once  more  found  myself  a 
member  of  the  family  circle,  soon  passed  away.  Sur 
rounded  by  old  and  well-tried  friends,  and  the  near 
est  and  dearest  of  my  kindred,  who  loved  me  all  the 
better  "  for  the  dangers  I  had  passed,"  I  related  my 
adventures.  I  need  scarcely  say  I  had  an  indulgent 
audience.  The  joy  of  such  a  reunion  more  than 
compensated  for  the  perils  and  hardships  of  the  past. 
Never  before  had  I  fully  experienced  all  the  pleasures 
of  home.  My  pilgrimage  was  over. 


484  FATE    OF    COMRADES. 

"  I  was  once  again 

With  those  who  loved  me.     What  a  beauty  dwelt 
In  each  accustomed  face  !     What  music  hung 
On  each  familiar  voice  !     We  circled  in 
Our  meeting  ring  of  happiness.     If  e'er 
This  life  has  bliss,  I  knew  and  felt  it  then !" 


CONCLUSION. 

Fate  of  my  Comrades. — Narrative  of  the  Sufferings  of  my  Friend 

W . — Unparalleled  Case  of  Cruelty. — Account  of  the  Yankee 

Boy. — The  Mockery  of  the  Law. — Injustice  toward  Seamen. — • 
Review  of  the  Voyage. — Reflections  on  the  present  Condition  of 
the  Whale  Fishers. — Flogging,  and  its  evil  Effects. — Imperfec 
tions  of  the  United  States  Consular  System. — Life  of  a  Whale 
man. — Tyranny. — The  End. 

IF  I  have  succeeded  in  securing  the  attention  of 
the  reader  so  far,  it  is  but  reasonable  to  presume  he 
feels  an  interest  in  the  fate  of  my  fellow-adventur 
ers.  I  should  deem  my  task  but  half  performed 
were  I  to  omit  farther  reference  to  the  unfortunate 
young  men  whose  sufferings  I  had  shared,  and  with 
whom  I  had  been  so  long  and  so  intimately  asso 
ciated. 

My  first  inquiry  on  my  return  to  Washington  was 
touching  the  fate  of  my  friend  W ,  whose  mel 
ancholy  history  is  given  in  the  early  part  of  this  nar 
rative.  When  I  parted  from  him  at  Fayal  I  had 
little  hope  of  ever  seeing  him  again.  He  was  then 
in  such  a  state  of  health  as  almost  to  preclude  the 


SUFFERINGS    OF    W.  485 

possibility  of  his  recovery.  It  rejoiced  me,  however, 
to  learn  that  he  had  returned  to  Ohio  in  safety  dur 
ing  the  autumn  of  the  preceding  year.  I  learned, 
also,  that  his  family  and  friends  attributed  to  me  all 
his  misfortunes.  Not  knowing  how  much  blame  he 
attached  to  me  himself,  I  felt  a  delicacy,  under  these 
circumstances,  in  writing  to  him ;  convinced  that, 
the  moment  he  heard  of  my  return  to  the  Unit 
ed  States,  he  would,  if  still  friendly  to  me,  explain 
how  matters  stood.  Some  time  after  my  arrival  in 
Washington,  hearing  nothing  from  him,  I  published 
an  outline  of  my  voyage,  and  sent,  him  a  paper  con 
taining  it.  In  the  course  of  a  week  or  two  I  receiv 
ed  a  frank,  cordial,  and  highly  satisfactory  letter,  as 
suring  me  of  the  friendly  regard  of  himself  and  fam 
ily,  and  containing  the  following  brief  narrative  of 
his  adventures  from  the  time  he  had  parted  from  me 
at  Fayal. 

After  our  separation  he  remained  in  the  Villa 
Orta,  confined  to  the  hospital  about  two  weeks,  dur 
ing  which  time  his  sufferings  from  illness  and  the 
unskillful  treatment  of  the  doctors  surpassed  even 
what  he  had  endured  on  board  the  whaler.  He  at 
length  succeeded  in  negotiating  with  the  captain  of 
a  small  schooner,  about  to  sail  for  Boston,  Massa 
chusetts,  for  a  passage  to  that  port.  Though  too  fee 
ble  to  work,  he  was  compelled  to  turn  out  at  night 
and  assist  the  hands  in  taking  in  sail,  and  in  some 
other  respects  received  the  most  heartless  treatment 
from  the  captain,  who  had  too  little  manliness  to  ap- 


486  PROLONGED    ILLNESS    OF  W. 

preciate  his  unhappy  situation.  On  the  passage  they 
encountered  much  rough  weather,  and  it  was  not 
until  the  29th  of  November  that  they  came  to  an 
chor  in  Boston  harbor — making  the  passage  upward 
of  six  weeks.  He  lay  confined  to  his  bed,  in  a  sail 
or  boarding-house,  for  several  days  before  he  had 
strength  to  write  to  his  parents.  An  answer,  con 
taining  a  remittance,  arrived  in  due  time ;  but  it  was 
more  than  three  weeks  before  he  had  sufficiently  re 
covered  to  bear  the  fatigue  of  traveling.  Immedi 
ately  on  regaining  in  some  measure  his  health,  he 
started  for  home,  where  he  arrived  in  the  course  of 
a  week,  very  much  enfeebled.  Unfortunately,  the 
effects  of  the  sun-stroke  still  remained,  and  he  again 
fell  sick,  and  continued  throughout  the  winter  in  a 
state  of  great  prostration  of  mind  and  body. 

In  the  summer  of  1844,  having  received  a  cordial 
invitation  to  spend  a  few  weeks  with  him,  I  passed 
through  Ohio,  on  my  return  to  Washington  from 
Kentucky,  and  paid  him  a  visit.  Need  I  say  our 
greeting  was  a  warm  one  ?  We  had  both  suffered, 
and  we  felt  that  past  events  had  but  strengthened 
the  bond  of  friendship.  Our  joy  was  mutual,  for  our 
separation  had  been  long  and  painful.  I  spent  a 
few  weeks  with  my  esteemed  shipmate,  on  the  banks 
of  the  beautiful  Scioto,  in  unreserved  communion 
over  the  trials  and  hardships  of  our  sea  life.  I  was 
grieved,  however,  to  find  him  still  laboring  under  the 
effects  of  his  maltreatment  on  board  the  whaler ; 
and  it  is  with  deep  regret  I  add  that  now,  after  the 


AMIABLE    CHARACTER    OF    MCF.  487 

lapse  of  more  than  three  years  from  that  period,  there 
is  no  abatement  to  his  distressing  malady.  Where 
is  the  law  for  a  deep  and  lasting  injury  like  this  1 

During  the  winter  succeeding  my  visit  to  the 
West,  I  learned  the  following  melancholy  particu 
lars  in  relation  to  the  fate  of  my  poor  friend,  Barzy 

M'F ,  the  "  down-easter."  I  have  already  dwelt 

at  some  length  upon  the  estimable  character  of  this 
young  man.  I  have  shown  that  he  possessed  more 
than  an  ordinary  share  of  the  kindly  and  endearing 
feelings  of  our  nature.  Though  rude  in  his  exterior, 
and  without  education,  he  had  a  noble,  manly,  and 
generous  heart — a  heart  alive  to  the  sufferings  of 
others,  and  ever  prompting  him  to  acts  of  kindness. 
I  have  shown  that  he  was  lively,  inoffensive,  and 
honest ;  and  I  now  add,  in  testimony  of  his  good 
qualities,  that  in  all  my  intercourse  with  the  world,  I 
never  met  with  a  more  upright  and  honorable  young 
man,  a  kinder  friend,  or  a  better  companion. 

But  hear  his  fate,  ponder  over  it,  and,  I  venture  to 
say,  you  can  not  find  in  the  annals  of  dark  and  dam 
ning  crime  a  deed  more  atrocious.  Driven  by  cru 
elties  which  he  could  no  longer  endure  to  make  his 
escape  from  the  barque  Styx,  he  took  advantage  of 
the  first  opportunity  that  occurred  after  she  left  Zan 
zibar,  and  deserted  on  an  island  in  the  Indian  Ocean. 
He  had  been  absent  but  twelve  hours  when  he  was 
retaken.  Warned  by  the  ill-treatment  which  he  had 
previously  received  not  to  depend  any  longer  upon 
the  prospect  of  his  condition  being  improved,  he  re- 


488  BRUTAL    TREATMENT    OF   M*F. 

fused  duty.  To  this  determination  he  adhered  with 
so  much  spirit  and  resolution,  that  the  captain,  with 
all  his  threats,  could  not  compel  him  to  yield. 
M'F — • —  had  suffered  too  many  outrages  to  remain 
in  the  slavish  position  he  had  occupied  during  the 
voyage.  For  thus  maintaining  his  rights  as  a  man 
and  an  American  citizen,  he  was  confined  in  the 
run,  and  kept  there,  on  bread  and  water,  from  the 
\ktli  of  February  till  the  Ilth  of  September,  1844 — 
nearly  SEVEN  MONTHS. 

Upon  the  arrival  of  the  vessel  in  the  United  States 
(at  the  date  of  his  liberation),  he  had  the  captain 
arraigned  before  the  United  States  Commissioner  in 
Boston  on  a  charge  of  cruel  and  unusual  punish 
ment.  It  appeared  from  the  testimony  that  his  pun 
ishment  was  the  result  of  his  own  determination  not 
to  do  duty ;  that  he  had  been  repeatedly  offered  his 
liberty  if  he  would  resume  his  place  before  the  mast, 
but  had  invariably  returned  the  same  positive  answer. 
When  liberated,  he  was  a  mere  skeleton,  and  had 
evidently  endured  the  most  intense  tortures  of  mind 
and  body.  In  giving  an  account  of  the  cruelties  in 
flicted  upon  him,  he  betrayed  no  ill-will  against  the 
captain,  but  stated  all  the  circumstances  with  mark 
ed  fairness  and  honesty. 

Now  I  wish  to  call  particular  attention  to  the  run 
in  which  this  man  wras  confined.  Those  acquainted 
with  a  ship's  structure  of  course  understand  all  this, 
but  there  may  be  some  who  will  not  deem  a  few 
words  of  explanation  supererogatory.  The  run  is  the 


DESCRIPTION    OF    HIS    NOISOME    DUNGEON.      489 

hole  or  apartment  immediately  under  the  cabin  floor. 
In  a  vessel  of  a  hundred  and  forty  or  fifty  tons  bur 
den,  it  is  rarely  more  than  three  or  four  feet  from 
the  deepest  part  of  the  run  to  the  cabin  floor,  and 
not  more  than  twelve  or  fourteen  feet  from  the  stern- 
post  to  the  bulk-heads  which  separate  it  from  the 
aft  hold.  The  stench  of  the  bilge-water  in  this  noi- 

o 

some  hole  is  almost  suffocating.  In  addition  to  this, 
the  run  of  the  barque  Styx  was  more  than  half  filled 
with  old  kegs,  cheese-boxes,  rigging,  and  other  rub 
bish,  leaving  scarcely  room  for  a  man  to  lie  down  at 
full  length,  and  no  room  to  stand,  or  even  sit  with 
comfort.  Light  being  totally  excluded,  and  no  air 
admitted  except  what  found  its  way  through  the 
aft  hold,  which  contained  the  ship's  provisions,  the 
horrors  of  such  a  place  of  confinement  may  more 
readily  be  imagined  than  described. 

In  this  dark  and  noisome  hole  an  unoffending 
and  friendless  young  man  dragged  out  a  weary  con 
finement  of  SEVEN  MONTHS.  I  ask  the  reader  to 
pause  and  reflect  upon  his  sufferings.  Can  any  thing 
more  dreadful  be  conceived  1  Within  limits  scarce 
ly  larger  than  a  coffin — thousands  of  miles  from  his 
native  land — breathing  the  thick  and  fetid  air  of  a 
dungeon  ;  surrounded  by  dense  and  perpetual  dark 
ness,  without  the  power  of  escape  should  the  vessel 
suddenly  founder ;  without  a  friend  to  whom  he 
could  appeal ;  goaded  by  the  insults  of  a  tyrant ; 
mocked  by  offers,  which,  as  a  man  not  totally  dead 
to  all  sense  of  the  dignity  of  human  nature,  he  felt 
Q,  Q  Q 


490  MOCKERY    OF    THE    LAW. 

bound  to  reject  with  disdain ;  days,  and  weeks,  and 
months  dragging  their  slow  length  along  without  a 
change — what  language  can  depict  his  sufferings ! 
what  heart  is  there  that  does  not  sympathize  with 
him ! 

Let  no  man  say  the  age  of  inquisitorial  cruelty  has 
passed  away  !  Is  it  possible  to  conceive  any  thing 
more  fiendish  than  this  1  Can  the  imagination  pic 
ture  a  more  malicious,  a  more  brutal  act  of  despot 
ism  ? 

But  this  is  an  enlightened  age :  of  course,  it  is  not 
to  be  supposed  such  deeds  of  villany  are  suffered  to 
go  unpunished.  A  crime  more  atrocious  than  the 
foulest  murder  certainly  demanded  an  appropriate 
punishment.  Was  the  perpetrator  of  this  outrage 
hung,  then  1  it  is  asked.  No.  Was  he  imprisoned 
in  a  penitentiary !  No.  Was  he  compelled  to  yield 
up  the  proceeds  of  his  voyage  in  reparation  of  the 
cruel  wrong  ?  Oh,  no  !  there  is  no  such  law  for  the 
poor  and  the  friendless.  Redress,  in  a  civilized  age, 
must  always  be  meted  out  according  to  the  influence 
and  standing  of  the  party  arraigned ;  otherwise  it 
would  be  a  disgusting  relic  of  barbarism,  not  to  be 
tolerated  in  a  more  advanced  state  of  civilization. 

Look  to  this,  philanthropists  !  God  forbid  that  I 
should  attempt,  by  any  crude  suggestions  of  mine,  to 
divert  your  attention  from  the  consideration  of  those 
great  causes  for  the  amelioration  of  the  condition  of 
the  human  race,  which  so  loudly  appeal  to  your 
sympathies — which  furnish  themes  for  lectures  and 


APPEAL    TO    PHILANTHROPISTS.  491 

addresses — which  agitate  the  whole  country,  and  in 
which  the  public  feel  so  profound  an  interest ;  but 
if  you  can  conveniently  spare  a  thought  upon  the 
slavish  and  degraded  condition  of  a  certain  class  of 
your  white  countrymen,  to  whose  daring  enterprise 
you  are  indebted  for  many  of  the  luxuries  of  life,  pray 
do  so,  and  I  have  no  doubt  your  condescension  will 
be  duly  appreciated.  They  are  but  white  men,  it 
is  true — men  of  no  influence  or  standing  in  society  ; 
men  who  have  been  so  degraded  by  the  lash  that 
respectable  people  spurn  them;  but  so  much  the 
greater  reason  for  the  exercise  of  your  magnanimity. 

It  was  not  enough  that  M'F should  receive 

no  redress  for  the  injuries  inflicted  upon  him.  To 
let  a  case  of  that  kind  pass  without  a  word  in  sup 
port  of  tyranny  would  have  been  another  relic  of  bar 
barism.  An  influential  journal  referred  to  it  as  a 
most  extraordinary  instance  of  "  ignorance,  or  ob 
stinacy,  or  both"  on  the  part  of  an  American  seaman ! 

I  learned  that  the  captain  was  held  to  bail  in  the 
sum  of  $800  to  answer  to  the  charge.  Considering 
the  nature  of  the  testimony — which  was  of  a  very 
conflicting  character,  some  of  the  witnesses  having 
a  wonderful  affection  for  the  captain — this  was  as 
much  as  could  be  expected  of  the  court.  But,  re 
garding  the  facts  as  they  really  occurred,  what  a 
mockery  upon  justice  do  we  find  here!  I  have  nev 
er  been  able  to  learn  whether,  at  the  final  trial,  any 
fine  was  imposed  upon  the  captain ;  but  if  there  was, 
it  certainly  could  not  have  exceeded  the  amount  of 


492  CHEAP    JUSTICE. 

the  bail,  and  the  probability  is,  it  was  much  less. 
Justice  is  certainly  cheap,  when  such  an  outrage  as 
this  only  costs  the  paltry  sum  of  a  few  hundred  dol 
lars. 

The  captain  was  also  held  to  bail  in  the  sum  of 
$200  (another  instance  of  cheap  justice)  for  putting 
the  mate,  Mr.  D ,  ashore  on  one  of  the  Sey 
chelles  Islands,  contrary  to  the  marine  laws  of  the 
United  States.  But  this  was  a  justifiable  case  ;  the 
mate  had  refused  to  submit  to  the  arbitrary  and  over 
bearing  tyranny  of  a  captain.  Whether  he  obtained 
redress  for  the  loss  of  his  voyage  and  the  expense  of 
his  passage  home  is  a  matter  of  no  consequence. 

I  should  like  to  know  the  object  of  marine  laws. 
That  they  protect  the  rights  of  the  master  is  plain 
enough  ;  but  in  my  simplicity,  I  had  supposed  they 
were  also  designed  to  protect  those  of  the  seaman. 
Let  us  revert  for  a  single  moment  to  some  of  the  fla 
grant  abuses  narrated  in  the  preceding  pages,  and  see 
whether  it  would  not  be  expedient  to  enact  some  laws 
for  the  protection  of  seamen,  and  also  to  devise  some 
means  to  have  them  administered. 

1.  In  the  case  of  Smith,  who  was  dragged  from 
a  bed  of  sickness,  and  brutally  assaulted  for  refusing 
to  perform  duties,  which,  by  the  articles  of  agree 
ment,  he  was  not  bound  to  perform,  was  there  not  a 
direct  violation  of  what  is  commonly  supposed  to  be 
the  law  ?  When  he  was  cruelly  beaten  at  the  helm 
because  ignorant  of  his  duty,  was  there  not  violation 
of  the  law  without  just  provocation  ?  WThen  he  was 


A    CHAPTER    OF    OUTRAGES.  493 

put  ashore  on  the  Island  of  Terceira  without  the 
consular  fee,  was  there  not  violation  of  the  law  I 
When  he  was  afterward  left  at  Fayal,  where  he 
could  have  been  recovered  had  it  been  supposed  he 
had  voluntarily  deserted,  was  there  not  violation  of 
the  law  ?  And  what  redress  has  he  had  for  these 
grievous  wrongs  1  None  whatever. 

2.  In  the  case  of  flogging  which  occurred  near  St. 
Augustine's  Bay,  was  the  offense  of  sufficient  mag 
nitude  to  justify  so  cruel  and  degrading  a  punishment  I 
What  redress  have  the  sufferers  obtained  for  their 
degradation  ?     None. 

3.  In  that  of  the  Portuguese  boy,  Frank,  who  was 
flogged  with  a  rope's  end  at  the  helm  for  his  igno 
rance  of  the  English  language,  was  there  not  a  di 
rect  and  flagrant  violation  of  the  law — an  atrocious 
outrage   upon  a  helpless  and  unoffending  youth  1 
What  redress  has  he  had  ?    None. 

4.  In  that  of  Vernon,  who  had  been  driven  by  ill 
usage  to  desert  at  Zanzibar,  and  who  died  miserably 
in  a  strange  land  in  consequence  of  this  ill  usage, 
was  there  not  a  most  shameful  disregard  of  law  and 
humanity  1     What  redress  has  his  bereaved  family 
obtained  for  this  outrage  1     None. 

5.  In  that  of  the  mate,  who  was  left  ashore  ten 
thousand  miles  from  home,  was  there  not  an  open 
violation  of  the  law  1     What  redress  has  he  had  ? 
The  loss  of  his  year's  labor  ! 

6.  In  that  of  M'F ,  whose  wrongs  I  have  just 

narrated,  was  there  not  one  of  the  most  fiendish  and 


494  GROSS    PERVERSION    OF    AUTHORITY. 

disgraceful  violations  of  law  on  record  1  And  what 
redress  has  he  had  1  The  empty  mockery  of  a  tri 
al,  a  paltry  and  miserable  fine,  perhaps,  and  the  in 
dignity  of  being  stigmatized  as  ignorant  and  obsti 
nate. 

7.  For  a  long  series  of  abuses ;  for  harsh  and  in 
sulting  language  ;  for  months  of  starvation  ;  for  un 
wholesome  food ;  for  every  species  of  degradation 
that  malice  could  devise,  what  redress  have  the  whole 
crew  had  ?  The  gratification  of  returning  to  the 
United  States,  after  their  privations  and  hardships,  in 
debt  for  their  outfits  ! 

Various  subterfuges  are  constantly  resorted  to,  for 
the  purpose  of  escaping  the  just  retribution  of  the 
law,  by  men  who  pervert  their  authority  to  gratify 
base  and  malicious  passions.  What  respect  can  the 
poor  seaman,  who  moves  in  an  humble  sphere,  have 
for  legal  enactments,  when  men  of  wealth  and  influ 
ence  are,  with  scarcely  an  exception,  suffered  to  revel 
in  every  species  of  enormity  1 

I  once  heard  it  contended,  as  an  apology  for  an 
arbitrary  act  of  despotism,  by  no  means  calculated 
to  inspire  barbarous  nations  with  a  very  profound  re 
spect  for  our  civilized  institutions,  that  an  American 
vessel  of  war,  in  a  friendly  port,  and  in  a  time  of 
peace,  could  not  with  safety  keep  in  custody  three 
of  her  own  crew  !  This  plea  was  sustained  by  intel 
ligent  and  respectable  witnesses.  Of  course,  after 
such  a  plea,  the  injured  party  could  receive  no  other 
than  mere  nominal  redress.  Under  such  circumstan- 


WHY  FOREIGNERS  ARE  EMPLOYED  AS  SEAMEN.  495 

ces,  when  a  high  tribunal  gives  countenance  to  tyr 
anny  and  oppression  because  of  the  commanding  in 
fluence  of  the  party  arraigned  for  trial,  what  hope 
can  we  have  of  seeing  justice  administered  in  an 
humble  sphere  of  life  1  Certainly  very  little.  Still, 
we  should  not  be  discouraged. 

It  has  been  alleged  that  it  is  impossible  to  preserve 
discipline  and  prevent  crime  without  extraordinary 
severity,  where  the  crews  of  our  vessels  are  com 
posed  of  so  great  a  proportion  of  foreign  outcasts. 
This  is  one  of 'the  many  arguments  in  support  of 
tyranny,  dictated  by  selfish  and  pecuniary  interests. 
Whj^are  the  crews  composed,  for  the  most  part,  of 
foreign  outcasts  1  Because  they  can  be  obtained  at 
a  lower  rate  of  compensation  than  Americans ;  be 
cause  they  have  never  been  accustomed  to  Republican 
institutions,  and  are  willing  to  submit  to  oppressive 
and  despotic  treatment ;  because,  having  been  all 
their  lives  suffering  from  hunger  and  want,  they  are 
easily  satisfied  with  the  poorest  fare ;  because,  in 
short,  they  are  more  easily  cheated,  more  servile,  more 
ignorant,  and  more  depraved  than  the  generality  of 
Americans  inveigled  into  the  same  service.  I  have 
particular  reference  to  the  Portuguese,  shipped  in 
such  numbers  from  the  Western  Islands,  and  by 
whom  our  whaling  fleet  is  in  a  large  proportion  man 
ned.  It  is  always  easy  to  find  excuses  for  oppression 
and  tyranny  where  pecuniary  interests  and  selfish 
passions  are  involved.  The  very  arguments  ad 
vanced  in  support  of  the  abuses  existing  in  our  entire 


496          THE  CURE  FOR  THE  EVIL. 

naval,  commercial,  and  whaling  marine  are  refuted  by 
the  facts  which  have  given  rise  to  them.  American 
freemen  are  unwilling  to  subject  themselves  to  a  sys 
tem  of  brutal  tyranny.  Abolish  all  these  abuses,  and 
Americans  will  man  our  vessels.  There  are  thou 
sands  of  enterprising  young  men  in  this  country  who 
would  be  glad  to  find  employment  in  the  whale 
fishery,  if  they  could  do  so  without  becoming  slaves. 
I  speak  now  of  the  better  class;  for  I  freely  confess  a 
large  proportion  of  the  Americans  who  continue  to 
seek  refuge  in  that  service  are  not  of  the  most  repu 
table  character.  It  is  the  existence  of  the  very  evils 
complained  of  that  furnishes  the  excuse  for  oijpres- 
sion.  Remove  them,  and  the  alleged  necessity  for 
this  severity  will  be  removed.  While  those  greedy 
cormorants,  who  live,  and  gloat,  and  grow  rich  on 
the  misery  and  degradation  of  their  fellow-creatures, 
are  suffered  to  carry  on  their  nefarious  system  in 
the  very  face  of  our  laws,  so  long  will  these  abuses 
exist. 

It  is  a  disgrace  to  the  American  flag  that  the  bar 
barous  system  of  flogging,  now  permitted  in  our  ves 
sels,  has  not  long  since  been  abolished.  A  glorious 
navy  is  ours;  a  glorious  whaling  fleet  have  we  when 
such  a  system  is  suffered  to  exist.  What  a  spectacle 
of  Republican  perfection  we  present  to  the  world  ! 

Where  the  abuse  of  a  privilege  exceeds  the  bene 
fits  resulting  from  it ;  where  it  has  never  produced  a 
change  for  the  better,  that  privilege  should  be  at 
once  abolished.  A  sacred  maxim,  sanctioned  by  the 


SYSTEM   OF    FLOGGING.  497 

dictates  of  humanity,  and  consecrated  by  ages,  tells 
us  it  is  better  ninety-and-nine  guilty  men  should 
escape  than  one  innocent  man  suffer.  But  this 
maxim  has  been  reversed.  To  such  perfection  has 
this  system  of  flogging  been  carried  of  late  years  that, 
whether  a  man  be  innocent  or  guilty,  if  it  is  sup 
posed  it  can  in  any  way  add  to  the  dignity  of  the 
quarter-deck,  he  is  seized  up  and  flogged.  This 
power  was  designed  for  useful  purposes;  but  its 
abuse  prevails  to  a  far  greater  extent  than  could  have 
been  apprehended.  It  is  the  primary  cause  of  mutiny 
and  bloodshed  on  the  high  seas.  Experience  has 
taught  us  that  a  discretionary  power  of  this  kind,  in 
the  hands  of  rude  and  ignorant  men,  is  ever  subject 
to  gross  perversion.  Its  abuses  far  exceed,  in  their 
demoralizing  tendency,  the  good  done  by  its  appro 
priate  and  judicious  exercise.  In  a  majority  of  cases 
it  is  made  the  medium  of  gratifying  the  basest  pas 
sions  :  malice  of  heart,  cruelty,  and  a  domineering 
and  arbitrary  spirit.  Would  it  be  safe  to  abolish 
flogging  ?  I  answer,  not  only  would  it  be  safe  to  do 
so,  but  it  would  be  the  strongest  bulwark  against  in 
subordination  and  mutiny.  Let  flogging  in  every 
form,  and  under  all  circumstances,  be  abolished,  and 
there  will  no  longer  exist  any  occasion  for  so  bar 
barous  a  custom.  Give  the  masters  of  vessels  no  dis 
cretion  in  the  matter.  As  a  general  rule,  they  are 
incapable  of  making  a  proper  use  of  a  discretionary 
power.  Human  nature  can  not  always  resist  so  great 
a  temptation ;  and  it  is  never  expedient  to  give  the 
R  R  R 


498        FLOGGING   UNNECESSARY  AND   DEGRADING. 

strong,  or  those  in  whom  authority  is  vested,  the 
power  to  tyrannize  over  the  weak. 

I  am  not  prepared  to  deny  that  severity  is  some 
times  necessary ;  but  I  deny  that  punishments  of  a 
degrading  character  are  either  necessary  or  expedi 
ent.  What  good  has  ever  been  effected  by  render 
ing  men  callous  to  all  those  moral  obligations  which 
distinguish  them  as  responsible  beings  I  Sailors  are 
not  so  depraved  as  to  be  insensible  to  kindness  and 
good  treatment.  Convinced  of  their  errors,  they 
would  avail  themselves  of  the  benefits  of  moral  per 
suasion  in  a  far  greater  ratio  than  they  improve  by 
being  degraded.  Under  the  present  disgraceful  sys 
tem  of  punishment,  the  laws  of  nature  uphold  them 
in  throwing  off  the  burden  of  unjustifiable  oppression, 
and  maintaining  their  rights  against  an  arbitrary  and 
iniquitous  custom.  The  almost  insurmountable  dif 
ficulties  under  which  they  labor,  in  obtaining  redress 
commensurate  with  their  wrongs,  has  already  taught 
them  the  absurdity  of  depending  upon  laws  so  loosely 
administered,  and  so  liable  to  gross  perversion.  They 
have  very  little  reason  to  rely  upon  the  legal  tribunals 
of  their  country  for  the  maintenance  of  their  rights. 

Granting  the  assumption,  for  the  sake  of  argument, 
that  flogging  is  necessary  in  extreme  cases,  and  to 
what  does  it  amount?  Simply  to  this:  that  the 
master  of  a  vessel,  in  his  conception  of  the  character 
of  an  offense,  not  in  that  of  an  impartial  tribunal, 
may  punish  a  seaman,  and  the  seaman  is  bound  to 
submit  to  the  punishment ;  for,  if  he  resist,  and  re- 


DESTROYS    SELF-RESPECT.  499 

fuse  duty,  he  is  carried  home  in  irons  as  a  mutineer. 
It  is  true,  the  master  is  liable  to  prosecution  for  un 
justifiable  severity ;  but  what  redress  does  the  sufferer 
receive  ?  A  fine,  perhaps,  of  fifty,  or  a  hundred,  or 
five  hundred  dollars  is  imposed  upon  the  defendant. 
Is  this  redress  1  Does  this  wipe  out  the  stain  ?  does 
this  remove  the  degradation  ?  Upon  what  principle 
can  such  a  burlesque  be  denominated  justice  ?  There 
are  few  seamen,  indeed,  though  I  do  not  deny  that 
there  may  be  some,  so  utterly  lost  to  self-respect,  and 
to  the  respect  of  their  fellow-creatures,  as  to  conceive 
themselves  compensated  for  a  degradation  so  mon 
strous  by  a  paltry  sum  of  money. 

It  is  not  a  matter  of  surprise  that  those  who  are 
the  most  violent  in  their  denunciations  of  the  op 
pression  and  injustice  of  our  Southern  institutions  are 
peculiarly  sensitive  about  the  freedom  of  the  whole 
human  race.  Massachusetts  being  largely  interested 
in  the  whale  fishery,  has  constantly  before  her  prac 
tical  demonstrations  of  the  horrors  of  slavery.  The 
philanthropists  of  that  state  will,  it  is  to  be  hoped, 
make  some  grand  efforts  in  behalf  of  the  seamen  em 
ployed  in  their  whaling  fleet,  as  soon  as  they  dispose 
of  the  African  race. 

It  may  be  asked,  are  these  abuses  the  only  sources 
of  crime  on  the  high  seas  ?  By  no  means.  One  of 
the  objects  which  I  have  in  view  is  to  expose  some 
enormities  in  a  higher  quarter. 

"As  the  sun  disdains  not  to  give  light  to  the 
smallest  worm,"  says  Sir  Philip  Sidney,  "  so  a  virt- 


500          THE  CONSULAR  SYSTEM. 

uous  prince  protects  the  life  of  his  meanest  subject/1 
The  remark  may,  with  slight  variation,  be  applied  to 
those  who  administer  this  government.  Our  Con 
stitution  provides  that  they  shall  guard  with  a  vigi 
lant  eye,  not  only  the  life,  but  the  liberty,  rights,  and 
happiness,  social  and  political,  of  every  citizen. 
Under  our  present  consular  system  this  great  and 
comprehensive  object  is  defeated.  No  nation  upon 
earth  is  disgraced  with  such  a  miserable  apology  for 
a  consular  system.  In  that  respect  we  are  pre-emi 
nent  over  all  the  rest  of  the  world :  we  have  the 
weakest  and  most  ineffectual  laws  for  the  protection 
of  our  citizens  abroad.  In  its  incipient  state,  it  was 
perhaps  as  good  as  could  have  been  devised,  consid 
ering  the  embarrassed  condition  of  the  treasury, 
and  the  difficulty  of  raising  a  sufficient  revenue  to 
meet  the  pressing  expenses  of  the  government.  But 
the  aspect  of  things  has  changed,  and  it  now  be 
comes  us  to  maintain  the  dignity  of  the  rank  we 
have  assumed  in  the  scale  of  nations.  How  is  this 
end  best  to  be  accomplished  ?  By  a  due  regard  to 
the  teachings  of  experience.  The  admonitions  of 
the  past  have  ever  proved  the  best  guide  to  the  per 
fection  of  governments.  No  citizen  of  the  United 
States  who  has  ever  visited  a  foreign  country,  and 
witnessed  the  operation  of  our  consular  system,  will 
deny  its  imperfections,  or  its  inferiority  to  those  of 
other  nations,  based  upon  the  policy  of  a  definite 
and  adequate  remuneration  for  services  rendered. 
When  the  prospect  of  emolument  from  commercial 


ITS    IMPERFECTIONS.  501 

speculations  is  the  only  inducement  held  out  to  our 
representatives  abroad,  it  is  hardly  to  be  expected 
that  the  business  of  the  government  will  receive  that 
constant  and  faithful  attention  which  alone  insures 
its  efficient  discharge.  Private  and  pecuniary  inter 
ests  must  inevitably  alienate  the  feelings  of  our  offi 
cers  from  the  duties  of  their  station.  Men  are  not 
often  so  blind  to  their  own  advantages  as  to  neglect 
the  business  upon  which  they  depend  for  a  subsist 
ence,  out  of  pure  patriotism,  or  from  any  sense  of 
duty  to  their  fellow-citizens. 

There  are  very  few  ports  at  which  our  consuls 
are  stationed  where  the  perquisites  of  the  office  are 
of  sufficient  importance  to  render  the  consulate  any 
object,  without  the  adventitious  aid  of  private  spec 
ulation.*  No  matter  how  much  sagacity  and  dis 
crimination  may  be  exercised  in  the  appointment 
of  men,  the  duties  of  whose  office  are  by  the  very 
laws  of  nature  made  secondary  to  their  private  in 
terests,  abuses  must  inevitably  exist.  The  effects  of 
such  a  system  are  the  establishment  of  monopolies 
in  commerce,  and  petty  despotisms  in  foreign  lands, 
where  the  voice  of  the  suffering  and  injured  is  too 
distant  to  be  heard.  Justice  and  humanity  are  for 
gotten  in  the  selfish  thirst  for  gain.  Complaint  is 
too  often  unavailing,  for  what  redress  can  be  had 

*  It  may  not  be  fresh  in  the  memory  of  the  reader  that  the  only 
consuls  from  this  country  who  receive  salaries  are  those  stationed  at 
London,  Tangiers,  Tunis,  Tripoli,  and  Beirout,  each  of  whom  is  paid 
$2000  per  annum,  except  the  last,  who  receives  but  $500. 


502  COLLUSIONS  BETWEEN  CAPTAINS  AND  CONSULS. 

where  party  influence  is  in  the  balance !  Ask  the 
American  citizen  who  has  felt  the  sway  of  official 
insolence  and  perverted  authority  over  his  rights; 
ask  the  suffering  mariner. 

Now  it  stands  to  reason  that  this  deplorable  state 
of  things  must  exist  so  long  as  the  system  remains  in 
its  present  condition.  In  most  of  the  foreign  ports 
where  consuls  are  stationed,  the  commanders  of 
whaling  vessels,  when  they  put  in  for  refreshments, 
or  for  the  purpose  of  refitting,  are  obliged  to  expend 
considerable  sums  of  money,  exclusive  of  the  fee  for 
depositing  their  papers,  in  the  purchase  of  various 
stores  necessary  for  another  cruise.  As  the  fees 
alone  would  not  be  any  object,  the  consuls  are 
obliged  to  depend  upon  their  own  private  business. 
They  keep  on  hand  all  articles  required  by  vessels 
touching  at  the  port,  and  sell  them  on  such  terms  as 
the  market  will  permit,  or,  if  there  be  no  compe 
tition,  on  their  own  terms.  The  captains  finding  it 
convenient  to  deal  with  the  consuls — particularly 
when  apprehensive  that  the  crews  will  complain  of 
cruel  or  unjust  treatment — and  the  consuls  being 
desirous  of  propitiating  the  friendly  feelings  of  the 
captains,  a  mutual  understanding  is  established  which 
prohibits  any  thing  like  justice  toward  seamen.  The 
consul  understands  perfectly  well  that  if  he  interferes 
in  behalf  of  the  seamen,  the  captain  will  not  deal  with 
him ;  and  the  captain  knows  equally  well  that  if  he 
deals  with  the  consul,  that  officer  will  have  too  much 
regard  for  his  own  purse  to  make  use  of  his  official 


UNCERTAINTY    OF    THE    LAW.  503 

power  to  the  disadvantage  of  so  good  a  customer. 
Consequently,  it  is  all  mockery  to  talk  about  the 
protection  of  the  rights  of  seamen  by  an  American 
consul. 

I  venture  to  assert  that  a  large  proportion  of  the 
crimes  committed  on  the  high  seas  might  be  prevent 
ed  by  proper  consular  regulations.  Can  we  blame 
men  constituted  like  ourselves,  deficient  neither  in 
pride  nor  feeling,  possessed  of  warm  hearts  and 
strong  passions,  if,  when  they  apply  for  a  redress  of 
their  grievances  to  those  whose  duty  it  is  to  aid  and 
protect  them,  and  receive  but  contumely  and  injus 
tice,  they  should  take  the  law  into  their  own  hands 
— redress  their  own  wrongs  ?  They  have  no  reason 
to  look  for  justice  at  home.  Experience  has  taught 
them  how  uncertain  the  laws  of  their  own  country 
are,  and  how  tardy  and  partial  are  its  awards.  Op 
pressed  by  grievous  wrongs,  they  rise  and  throw  off 
the  burden.  This  is  mutiny — this  is  called  crime. 
Be  it  so  ;  but  it  is  a  species  of  crime  which  is  inhe 
rent  in  every  manly  heart.  When  protection  is  de 
nied  our  own  citizens  abroad  under  the  pretended 
aegis  of  our  laws,  the  worst  results  must  be  expected. 

Now  I  maintain  that  the  whole  system,  whatever 
it  may  be  in  theory,  is  in  point  of  fact  anti-republi 
can  and  despotic.  "  Whatever  excellence,  whatever 
freedom,"  says  Mackintosh,  "  is  discoverable  in  gov 
ernments  has  been  infused  into  them  by  the  shock 
of  a  revolution,  and  their  subsequent  progress  has< 
been  only  the  accumulation  of  abuse.  It  is  hence 


504  RETURN    TO    FIRST    PRINCIPLES. 

that  the  most  enlightened  politicians  have  recog 
nized  the  necessity  of  frequently  recalling  govern 
ments  to  their  first  principles."  This  is  a  truth  of 
which  the  history  of  our  own  government  has  afford 
ed  a  striking  proof.  We  have  now  a  naval  aristoc 
racy  the  most  arrogant  and  despotic,  perhaps,  in  the 
world.  We  have  a  whaling  marine  in  which  cru 
elty  and  despotism  are  fostered  with  special  care. 
We  have  a  consular  system  which,  instead  of  pro 
tecting  American  citizens,  is  made  the  medium  of 
private  emolument,  and  sanctions  the  grossest  op 
pressions.  All  this  may  be  modern  Republicanism ; 
but  I  should  greatly  prefer  a  return  to  first  principles 
— -justice  to  all  men,  equal  rights  and  equal  protec 
tion  to  every  citizen. 

There  is  no  class  of  men  in  the  world  who  are 
so  unfairly  dealt  with,  so  oppressed,  so  degraded,  as 
the  seamen  who  man  the  vessels  engaged  in  the 
American  whale  fishery.  I  do  not  speak  from  my 
own  limited  experience  alone.  The  testimony  of 
every  unprejudiced  seaman  with  whom  I  have  con 
versed  on  the  subject  establishes  the  truth  of  the  as 
sertion.  Instead  of  being  a  monument  of  our  glory, 
the  condition  of  this  oppressed  class  is  a  reproach  to 
our  country — a  disgrace  to  the  age  of  civilization  in 
which  we  live. 

At  best,  the  life  of  a  whaleman  is  fraught  with 
dangers  and   hardships.     His   duties    differ  widely 
•from  those  of  the  merchant  seaman ;  his  compensa 
tion  is  more  uncertain;  his  enjoyments  are  fewer, 


HARDSHIPS    OF    THE    WHALEMAN.  505 

and  his  risk  of  life  greater.  Many  of  the  comforts 
of  the  one  are  denied  the  other.  The  merchant 
sailor  has  regular  and  steady  employment,  sure  pay, 
good  fare,  and  the  protection  of  the  law.  He  is  sel 
dom  more  than  three  or  four  months  out  from  port 
to  port.  He  knows  that,  however  severe  may  be  his 
treatment,  there  is  a  prospect  of  sure  and  speedy  re 
dress.  But  how  is  it  with  the  whaleman  1  From 
the  time  he  leaves  port  he  is  beyond  the  sphere  of 
human  rights :  he  is  a  slave  till  he  returns.  He 
sees  little  of  the  pleasures  of  shore  life.  He  is  fre 
quently  six  or  eight  months  on  a  cruise  without  see 
ing  land.  All  this  .time  he  is  subject  to  severe  labor, 
the  poorest  and  meanest  fare,  and  such  treatment  as 
an  ignorant  and  tyrannical  master,  standing  in  no 
fear  of  the  law,  chooses  to  inflict  upon  him.  On 
the  cruising  ground  he  not  unfrequently  stands  from 
four  to  six  hours  a  day  at -the  mast-head,  under  the 
scorching  rays  of  a  tropical  sun,  or  exposed  to  the 
cutting  blasts .  of  a  frigid  zone.  He  has  also  his 
tricks  at  the  helm  night  and  day.  At  times,  wlten 
there  has  been  a  run  of  luck,  he  is  out  in  the  boats, 
toiling  with  his  oar  from  six  to  ten  hours  on  a 
stretch,  and  for  weeks  he  has  but  four  or  five  hours' 
rest  out  of  the  twenty-four.  Covered  with  oil,  suf 
focating  under  the  fumes  of  the  try-works,  in  immi 
nent  and  perpetual  danger  of  life  and  limb,  he  thus 
toils  on,  conscious  that  the  proceeds  of  his  labor  are 
not  for  him.  Nominally  he  receives  his  proportion, 
but  in  point  of  fact  it  amounts  to  nothing.  His  out- 

Sss 


506  BRUTAL    CONDUCT    OF    OFFICERS. 

fit  costs  him  twice  its  real  value,  and  if,  after  three 
years  of  incessant  labor,  he  returns  to  the  port  from 
which  he  sailed  with  a  few  hundred  dollars  due  him, 
he  considers  himself  peculiarly  fortunate.  But  how 
often  does  he  return  in  debt  or  penniless !  Worse 
than  all,  he  is  the  slave  of  others,  perhaps  his  infe 
riors  in  every  manly  attribute.  He  is  flogged  for 
the  most  trifling  offense,  cursed  when  he  strives  to 
please,  trampled  and  spit  upon,  without  the  power 
to  resent  the  indignities.  Remonstrance  is  a  course 
to  which  he  dare  not  resort.  The  officers,  eager 
after  promotion,  cringe  to  the  captain,  and  are  ever 
ready  to  win  a  word  of  approbation  by  bestowing 
upon  their  inferiors  in  rank  the  choicest  epithets  in 
the  calendar  of  vulgarity  and  blasphemy,  and  to  show 
by  word  and  deed  that  they  are  qualified,  by  every 
heartless  and  brutal  attribute,  for  the  discharge  of 
their  duty.  It  is  painful  to  trace  his  career  to  its 
close.  With  a  crushed  spirit,  he  finds  himself  once 
more  in  his  native  land.  But  he  is  penniless  and 
degraded.  Who  is  there  to  befriend  him  1  Who 
to  console  him  1  He  seeks  oblivion  in  the  rum-bot 
tle — falls  into  the  snares  of  a  wary  and  designing 
set  of  agents,  and  is  shipped  again,  to  waste  away 
his  manhood  in  the  service  of  others,  who,  seated  in 
their  easy  arm-chairs,  are  gloating  over  their  ill-got 
ten  gains.  Such  is  the  life  of  a  whaleman. 

But  this,  some  may  say,  is  a  picture  of  extremes. 
Not  so :  it  is  a  picture  of  ordinary  life,  which  may 
be  attested  by  their  own  observation. 


RARE    EXCEPTIONS.  507 

I  am  willing  to  admit  that  there  are  exceptions. 
Prejudice,  springing  from  an  innate  detestation  of 
oppression  in  all  its  forms,  has  not  blinded  me  to 
justice.  In  many  cases  the  agents  and  outfitters 
are  imposed  upon  by  a  class  of  swindlers  and  fugi 
tives  from  justice,  who,  in  order  to  obtain  a  living  on 
easy  terms,  procure  money  and  clothing  from  them, 
and,  as  soon  as  an  opportunity  occurs,  make  their 
escape  to  another  sea-port.  There  are,  in  other 
cases,  humane  and  liberal  owners,  who  know  as 
little  of  the  conduct  of  their  captains  toward  the 
crews  as  is  known  by  those  who  have  no  direct 
interest  in  the  matter.  Again,  there  are  captains 
who  treat  their  crews  with  kindness  and  humanity, 
and  who  deprecate  cruelty  with  as  much  warmth 
and  sincerity  as  the  most  ardent  philanthropists  in 
existence.  Such  men  are,  unhappily,  not  deemed 
the  best  fitted  for  the  service;  and  for  this  reason 
they  are  scarce.  Where  the  exceptions  are  so  rare, 
they  can  hardly  be  said  to  affect  the  general  rule. 

I  know  very  well  that  sweeping  assertion  proves 
nothing ;  still  I  flatter  myself  the  plain  narrative  of 
facts  which  I  have  given  proves  that  what  I  have  here 
advanced  is  not  without  foundation.  Prudence  dic 
tates  that  disagreeable  truths  should  be  carefully  told ; 
and  if  I  have  not  been  guided  by  it  in  all  respects, 
it  is  because  my  feelings  are  enlisted  in  the  cause  of 
the  oppressed.  I  have  a  loathing  contempt  for  the 
drivelling  arguments  which  are  constantly  urged  in 
support  of  tyranny.  Away  with  all  such  miserable 


508  CONCLUSION. 

subterfuges  !  He  who  abuses  his  authority  by  per 
verting  it  to  base  purposes,  tramples  upon  the  rights 
and  feelings  of  those  over  whom  fortune  has  placed 
him,  refuses  to  listen  to  remonstrance,  and  whose 
craven  heart  would  wither  within  him  but  .for  the 
aid  and  support  of  the  powerful,  is  the  most  despi 
cable,  the  most  contemptible  of  cowards.  Nay, 

"He  is  a  wretch,  whom  'twere  base  flattery  to  call  coward." 

I  have  thus  discharged  what  I  deemed  to  be  a 
duty.  If  injustice  has  been  done  to  any  man  or 
class  of  men,  it  has  not  been  intentional.  I  may 
have  erred  in  judgment,  but  I  have  not  knowingly 
wronged  even  those  whom  I  have  censured.  The 
press  is  the  most  powerful  guardian  of  liberty  and 
justice,  and  will  not  long  suffer  abuses,  when  they 
become  known,  to  exist  I  trust  the  day  is  at  hand 
when  the  rights  of  seamen  can  not  be  invaded  with 
impunity. 


APPENDIX. 


APPENDIX. 


IT  is  hardly  necessary  for  me  to  state  that  I  make  no  pretensions  to 
scientific  attainments.  At  the  time  of  writing  the  preceding  narrative, 
I  had  never  read  a  single  work  of  any  description  relating  to  the  whale 
fishery.  Since  my  return  from  the  Indian  Ocean,  the  study  of  the  natural 
history  of  the  whale  has  engrossed  no  small  share  of  my  attention  ;  but, 
wishing  my  journal  to  stand  upon  its  own  footing,  I  have  not  embraced 
in  it  the  information  which  I  might  have  obtained  from  the  works  of 
more  experienced  writers.  As  an  offset,  however,  to  a  light  and  sketchy 
narrative  of  mere  personal  adventures,  professing  to  be  nothing  more 
than  a  delineation  of  the  life  of  a  whaleman,  I  am  induced  to  believe  a 
compilation  of  more  solid  reading  matter  will  not  be  altogether  unac 
ceptable.  Having  had  access  to  the  various  works  in  the  Library  of  Con 
gress  on  the  whale  fishery,  I  flatter  myself  I  shall  be  able  to  present  to 
the  reader  some  interesting  and  curious  facts,  not  easily  found  elsewhere, 
and  which  may  serve  to  satisfy  his  mind  on  many  particulars  not  within 
the  scope  of  my  observation.  I  wish  it  to  be  borne  in  mind  that,  in  mak 
ing  this  compilation,  I  am  indebted  to  the  writings  of  others,  and  lay  no 
claims  to  originality,  being  quite  willing  to  rest  my  chances  of  approba 
tion  or  censure  on  the  foregoing  narrative  alone.  Convinced  that  I  can 
not  improve  what  others,  better  versed  in  the  subject,  have  bestowed  so 
much  labor  upon,  I  shall,  for  the  most  part,  give  the  extracts  without  ad 
dition  or  alteration. 

I  have  found  it  extremely  difficult  to  obtain  any  definite  and  authentic 
facts  in  relation  to  the  origin  of  the  whale  fishery.  The  works  which  I 
have  before  me,  containing  the  earliest  records  on  this  subject,  are  of  so 
conflicting  a  character,  that,  after  wading  through  volumes  embracing  a 
great  variety  of  other  topics,  I  am  puzzled  upon  which  to  place  the  most 
reliance.  Instead,  therefore,  of  attempting  any  consecutive  arrangement 
of  these  records,  I  shall  lay  before  the  reader  such  extracts  from  works  of 
an  authentic  character  as  will  enable  him  to  judge  for  himself;  and  this  I 
shall  endeavor  to  do  with  as  much  regard  to  order  as  the  nature  of  the  sub 
ject  will  permit.  It  is  true,  I  present  nothing  new ;  but  I  find  an  apology  for 
that  in  the  fact  that  it  took  me  many  weeks  to  collate  what  I  do  present ; 
and  no  compilation  of  the  kind  having  yet  been  made,  the  inquirer  will, 
at  least,  be  saved  the  trouble  of  ransacking  more  than  twenty  volumin 
ous  works  to  find  what  is  here  embraced  within  the  limits  of  a  few  dozen 
pages.  I  am  confident  the  rare  and  interesting  character  of  the  extracts 
will  amply  repay  a  perusal,  and  my  only  regret  is,  that  I  am  unable  to 
give  them  in  a  more  methodical  form. 


512  APPENDIX. 

It  is  admitted,  I  believe,  that  the  Norwegians  were  the  first  to  engage 
in  the  capture  of  the  whale,  and  that  they  carried  on  a  fishery  long  before 
any  other  European  nation.  As  early  as  887,  according  to  Anderson  (in 
his  Historical  and  Chronological  Deduction  of  the  Origin  of  Commerce), 
or,  as  Hakluyt  thinks,  about  890,  "  our  excellent  King  Alfred  received 
from  one  Octher,  a  Norwegian,  an  account  of  his  discoveries  northward 
on  the  Coast  of  Norway ;  a  coast  which  seems  to  have  been  before  very 
little,  if  at  all,  known  to  the  Anglo-Saxons.  There  is  one  very  remark 
able  thing  in  this  account ;  for  he  tells  King  Alfred  « that  he  sailed  along 
the  Norway  coast,  so  far  north  as  commonly  the  whale-hunters  used  to 
travel ;'  which  shows  the  great  antiquity  of  whale  fishing,  though  undoubt 
edly  then,  and  long  after,  the  use  of  what  is  usually  called  whalebone  was 
not  known  ;  so  that  they  fished  for  whales  merely  on  account  of  their  fat 
or  oil."  Macpherson,  in  his  improved  edition  of  this  work,  in  which  many 
of  the  statements  are  corrected  and  valuable  additions  made,  does  not 
materially  differ  from  Anderson.  The  following  quotation  from  Henry's 
History  of  Great  Britain,  giving  the  particulars  of  Octher's  narrative, 
will  not  be  uninteresting :  "  In  addition  to  all  these  [expeditions  against 
the  Danish  pirates]  and  many  other  cares,  Alfred  encouraged  foreigners 
that  were  in  his  service,  and  some  of  his  own  subjects,  to  undertake  voy 
ages  for  making  discoveries,  and  opening  new  sources  of  trade,  both  to 
ward  the  north  and  south ;  of  which  it  will  be  proper  to  give  some  ac 
count.  There  is  still  extant  a  very  curious  relation  of  one  of  these  voy 
ages,  undertaken  by  one  Ochter,  9,  Norwegian.  This  relation  was  given 
by  the  adventurer  himself  at  his  return,  and  written  down  from  his  mouth 
by  King  Alfred  with  his  own  hand.  The  style  of  this  precious  fragment 
of  antiquity  is  remarkably  simple,  and  it  seems  to  have  been  designed 
only  as  a  memorandum  for  the  king's  own  private  use.  This  simplicity 
of  style  is  imitated  in  the  following  translation  from  the  original  Saxon, 
of  that  part  of  it  which  it  is  thought  necessary  to  lay  before  the  reader. 
Ochter,  after  giving  a  very  curious  description  of  the  country  inhabited 
by  the  Finmans,  proceeds  to  say,  that  '  he  visited  this  country  also  with 
a  view  of  catching  horse-whales,  which  had  bones  of  very  great  value  for 
their  teeth,  of  which  he  brought  some  to  the  king  ;  that  their  skins  were 
good  for  making  ropes  for  ships.  These  whales  are  much  less  than  oth 
er  whales,  being  only  five,  ells  long.  The  best  whales  were  catched  in 
his  own  country,  of  which  some  were  forty-eight,  some  fifty  yards  long. 
He  said  that  he  was  one  of  six  who  had  killed  sixty  in  two  days.'  " 

These  horse- whales,  spoken  of  by  Ochter,  were  what  we  call  sea-hor 
ses,  and  the  Dutch  sea-cows,  or  morses.  It  is  probable  the  length  of  the 
whales  caught  in  his  own  country  is  greatly  exaggerated.  Beal  quotes 
from  many  of  the  ancient  writers  instances  of  extraordinary  exaggera 
tions  of  this  kind,  and  doubts  whether  any  whales  were  ever  seen  of  a 
greater  length  than  eighty  or  ninety  feet,  even  admitting  that  they  were 
once  found  of  a  larger  growth  than  any  now  seen  or  captured. 

The  earliest  authentic  data  that  I  have  been  able  to  find  respecting  the 
origin  of  the  whale  fishery,  as  a  regular  and  permanent  branch  of  trade, 


APPENDIX.  513 

is  that  furnished  by  M'Culloch,  in  his  Commercial  Dictionary,  which,  al 
though  little  more  than  a  condensation  from  the  works  of  Anderson,  Mac- 
pherson,  and  others,  is  of  a  more  reliable  character  than  any  similar  com 
pilation  I  have  met  with.  It  has  often  been  asserted  that  the  whale  fish 
ery  had  its  origin  on  the  North  American  coast,  and  that  the  inhabitants 
of  Plymouth  province  were  the  first  to  engage  in  it  as  a  systematic  busi 
ness.  We  can  justly  claim  the  honor  of  having  done  more  to  extend  and 
render  profitable  this  branch  of  trade,  under  very  discouraging  circum 
stances,  than  any  nation  upon  earth,  but  not  that  of  having  commenced 
it  before  other  nations.  At  the  time  the  inhabitants  of  Massachusetts 
were  making  their  first  attempts  in  the  capture  of  the  whale  (about  1650), 
the  Biscayans  had  already  extensively  engaged  in  that  business,  the 
Dutch  and  the  English  had  followed  their  example,  the  Russia  Company 
had  obtained  an  exclusive  charter  for  it,  and  many  other  nations  of  Eu 
rope  had  directed  their  attention  to  the  northern  fisheries. 

"It  is  probably  true,  as  has  been  sometimes  contended,"  says  M'Cul 
loch,  "  that  the  Norwegians  occasionally  captured  the  whale  before  any 
other  European  nation  engaged  in  so  perilous  an  enterprise.  But  the 
early  efforts  of  the  Norwegians  were  not  conducted  on  any  systematic 
plan,  and  should  be  regarded  only  in  the  same  point  of  view  as  the  fish 
ing  expeditions  of  the  Esquimaux.  The  Biscayans  were  certainly  the 
first  people  who  prosecuted  the  whale  fishery  as  a  regular  commercial 
pursuit.  They  carried  it  on  with  great  vigor  and  success  in  the  12th, 
13th,  and  14th  centuries.  In  1261,  a  tithe  was  laid  upon  the  tongues  of 
whales  imported  into  Bayonne,  they  being  there  a  highly-esteemed  spe 
cies  of  food.  In  1388,  Edward  III.  relinquished  to  Peter  de  Puayanne  a 
duty  of  £6  sterling  a  whale,  laid  on  those  brought  into  the  port  of  Biaritz, 
to  indemnify  him  for  the  extraordinary  expenses  he  had  incurred  in  fit 
ting  out  a  fleet  for  the  service  of  his  majesty.  This  fact  proves  beyond 
dispute  that  the  fishery  carried  on  from  Biaritz  at  the  period  referred  to 
must  have  been  very  considerable  indeed  ;  and  it  was  also  prosecuted  to 
a  great  extent  from  Cibourre,  Vieux  Boucan,  and,  subsequently,  from 
Rochelle  and  other  places. 

"  The  whales  captured  by  the  Biscayans  were  not  so  large  as  those 
that  are  taken  in  the  Polar  Seas,  and  are  supposed  to  have  been  attracted 
southward  in  the  pursuit  of  herrings.  They  were  not  very  productive  of 
oil,  but  their  flesh  was  used  as  an  article  of  food,  and  the  whalebone  was 
applied  to  a  variety  of  useful  purposes,  and  brought  a  very  high  price. 

"  This  branch  of  industry  ceased  long  since,  and  from  the  same  cause 
that  has  occasioned  the  cessation  of  the  whale  fishery  in  many  other  pla 
ces — the  want  of  fish.  Whether  it  were  that  the  whales,  from  a  sense 
of  the  dangers  to  which  they  exposed  themselves  in  coming  southward, 
no  longer  left  the  Icy  Sea,  or  that  the  breed  had  been  nearly  destroyed, 
certain  it  is  that  they  gradually  became  less  numerous  in  the  Bay  of  Bis 
cay,  and  at  length  ceased  almost  entirely  to  frequent  that  sea ;  and  the 
fishers  being  obliged  to  pursue  their  prey  upon  the  banks  of  Newfound 
land  and  the  coasts  of  Iceland,  the  French  fishery  rapidly  fell  off. 
T  T  T 


514  APPENDIX. 

"  The  voyages  of  the  Dutch  and  English  to  the  Northern  Ocean,  in 
order,  if  possible,  to  discover  a  passage  through  it  to  India,  though  they 
failed  of  their  main  object,  laid  open  the  haunts  of  the  whale.  The  com 
panions  of  Barentz,  who  discovered  Spitzbergen  in  1596,  and  of  Hudson, 
who  soon  after  explored  the  same  seas,  represented  to  their  countrymen 
the  amazing  number  of  whales  with  which  they  were  crowded.  Vessels 
were  in  consequence  fitted  out  for  the  Northern  whale  fishery  by  the 
English  and  Dutch,  the  harpooners  and  a  part  of  the  crew  being  Biscay- 
ans.  They  did  not,  however,  confine  their  efforts  to  a  fair  competition 
with  each  other  as  fishers.  The  Muscovy  Company  obtained  a  royal 
charter,  prohibiting  the  ships  of  all  other  nations  from  fishing  in  the  seas 
round  Spitzbergen,  on  pretext  of  its  having  first  been  discovered  by  Sir 
Hugh  Willoughby.  There  can,  however,  be  no  doubt  that  Barentz,  and 
not  Sir  Hugh,  was  its  original  discoverer ;  though,  supposing  that  the 
fact  had  been  otherwise,  the  attempt  to  exclude  other  nations  from  the 
surrounding  seas,  on  such  a  ground,  was  not  one  that  could  be  tolerated. 
The  Dutch,  who  were  at  that  time  prompt  to  embark  in  any  commercial 
pursuit  that  gave  any  hopes  of  success,  eagerly  entered  on  this  new  ca 
reer,  and  sent  out  ships  fitted  equally  for  the  purposes  of  fishing,  and  of 
defense  against  the  attacks  of  others.  The  Muscovy  Company  having 
attempted  to  vindicate  its  pretensions  by  force,  several  encounters  took 
place  between  their  ships  and  those  of  the  Dutch.  The  conviction  at 
length  became  general  that  there  was  room  enough  for  all  parties  in  the 
Northern  Seas  ;  and  in  order  to  avoid  the  chance  of  coming  into  collision 
with  each  ether,  they  parcelled  Spitzbergen  and  the  adjacent  ocean  in 
districts,  which  were  respectively  assigned  to  the  English,  Dutch,  Ham- 
burghers,  French,  Danes,  &c. 

"  The  Dutch,  thus  left  to  prosecute  the  fishery  without  having  their 
attention  diverted  by  hostile  attacks,  speedily  acquired  a  decided  supe 
riority  over  all  their  competitors. 

"  When  the  Europeans  first  began  to  prosecute  the  fishery  on  the  coast 
of  Spitzbergen,  whales  were  every  where  found  in  vast  numbers.  Igno 
rant  or  the  strength  and  stratagems  of  the  formidable  foe  by  whom  they 
were  now  assailed,  instead  of  betraying  any  symptoms  of  fear,  they  sur 
rounded  the  ships  and  crowded  all  the  bays.  Their  capture  was,  in  con 
sequence,  a  comparatively  easy  task,  and  many  were  killed  which  it  was 
afterward  necessary  to  abandon,  from  the  ships  being  already  full. 

"  "While  fish  were  thus  easily  obtained,  it  was  the  practice  to  boil  the 
blubber  on  shore  in  the  North,  and  to  fetch  home  only  the  oil  and  whale 
bone  ;  and  perhaps  nothing  can  give  a  more  vivid  idea  of  the  extent  and 
importance  of  the  Dutch  fishery  in  the  middle  of  the  17th  century,  than 
the  fact  that  they  constructed  a  considerable  village,  the  houses  of  which 
were  all  previously  prepared  in  Holland,  on  the  Isle  of  Amsterdam,  on 
the  northern  shore  of  Spitzbergen,  to  whi^1  they  gave  the  appropriate 
name  of  Smeerenberg  (from  smeeren,  to  melt,  and  berg,  a  mountain).  This 
was  the  grand  rendezvous  of  the  Dutch  whale  ships,  and  was  amply  pro 
vided  with  boilers,  tanks,  and  every  sort  of  apparatus  required  for  pre- 


APPENDIX.  515 

paring  the  oil  and  bone.  But  this  was  not  all.  The  whale  ships  were 
attended  with  a  number  of  provision  ships,  the  cargoes  of  which  were 
landed  at  Smeerenberg,  which  abounded  during  the  busy  season  with 
well-furnished  shops,  good  inns,  &c. ;  so  that  many  of  the  conveniences 
and  enjoyments  of  Amsterdam  were  found  within  about  eleven  degrees 
of  the  Pole  !  It  is  particularly  mentioned  that  the  sailors  and  others  were 
every  morning  supplied  with  what  a  Dutchman  regards  as  a  very  great 
luxury,  hot  rolls  for  breakfast.  Batavia  and  Smeerenberg  were  founded 
nearly  at  the  same  period,  and  it  was  for  a  considerable  time  doubted 
whether  the  latter  was  not  the  more  important  establishment. — (De  Reste, 
Histoire  des  Peuches,  &c.,  tome  i.,  p.  42.) 

"  During  the  flourishing  period  of  the  Dutch  fishery,  the  quantity  of  oil 
made  in  the  North  was  so  great  that  it  could  not  be  carried  on  by  the 
whale  ships  ;  and  every  year  vessels  were  sent  out  in  ballast  to  assist 
in  importing  the  produce  of  the  fishery. 

"  But  the  same  cause  which  had  destroyed  the  fishery  of  the  Biscayans, 
ruined  that  which  was  carried  on  in  the  immediate  neighborhood  of  Spitz- 
bergen.  Whales  became  gradually  less  common,  and  more  and  more  dif 
ficult  to  catch.  They  retreated  first  to  the  open  seas,  and  then  to  the 
great  banks  of  ice  on  the  eastern  coast  of  Greenland.  When  the  site  of 
the  fishery  had  been  thus  removed  to  a  very  great  distance  from  Spitz- 
bergen,  it  was  found  most  economical  to  send  the  blubber  direct  to  Hol 
land.  Smeerenberg  was,  in  consequence,  totally  deserted,  and  its  posi 
tion  is  now  with  difficulty  discernible." 

"  When  in  the  most  flourishing  state,  toward  1680,  the  Dutch  whale 
fishery  employed  about  260  ships  and  14,000  sailors." 

This  brings  us  nearly  up  to  the  period  when  the  settlers  in  North  Amer 
ica  began  to  fit  out  vessels  for  this  service.  It  will  be  seen,  however, 
that  they  had  been  for  some  time  previously  engaged  in  the  fishery  near 
the  shores,  in  boats  and  canoes. 

My  attention  was  directed  by  the  Hon.  Mr.  Grinnell,  a  gentleman  bet 
ter  acquainted  with  the  history  of  the  whale  fishery  than  perhaps  any 
man  in  the  United  States,  to  a  very  curious  and  entertaining  account  of 
the  rise  and  progress  of  the  whale  fishery,  by  an  old  resident  of  Nan- 
tucket,  Mr.  Obed  Macy,*  a  descendant  of  Thomas  Macy,  the  first  settler. 
From  this  work  I  glean  the  following  facts  in  relation  to  the  first  at 
tempts  made  by  the  inhabitants  of  Nantucket  to  capture  the  "  great  levi 
athan  of  the  deep." 

Driven  by  religious  persecution  from  his  home  in  Massachusetts,  whith 
er  he  had  emigrated  from  England  in  1640,  Thomas  Macy  removed  with 
his  family  to  the  Island  of  Nantucket  in  the  fall  of  1659,  where  he  estab 
lished  a  settlement. 

"  The  whaling  business  was  not  commenced  till  several  years  after  the 
settlement  of  the  is-land.  In  the  interval,  the  people  were  occupied  in 

*  The  History  of  Nantucket :  being  a  compendious  Account  of  the  first  Settlement  of  the 
Island  by  the  English,  together  with  the  Rise  and  Progress  of  the  Whale  Fishery,  and  other 
historical  Facts  relative  to  said  Island  and  its  Inhabitants.  By  Obed  Macy.  1835. 


516  APPENDIX. 

farming,  or  in  fishing  near  the  shores.  Fish  were  plenty,  and  easily 
caught.  The  Indians  were  instructed  in  the  mode  of  fishing  practiced 
by  the  whites,  and,  in  return,  the  whites  were  assisted  by  the  Indians  in 
pursuing  the  business.  Previous  to  their  acquaintance  with  the  English, 
the  natives  fished  with  a  rude  line  of  twisted  grass,  to  which  they  at 
tached  a  stone  for  a  sinker,  and  a  clumsy  hook  of  bone.  Some  of  the 
sinkers  just  mentioned  remain  to  this  day.  They  resemble  a  ship's  block 
in  form,  and  weigh  two  or  three  pounds.  With  this  inconvenient  appa 
ratus,  they  caught  but  few  fish  compared  with  the  number  obtained  by 
the  better-adapted  hook  and  line  of  the  Europeans. 

"  The  first  whaling  expedition  was  undertaken  by  some  of  the  original 
purchasers  of  the  island,  the  circumstances  of  which  are  handed  down 
by  tradition.  A  whale,  of  the  kind  called  «  scragg,'  came  into  the  har 
bor,  and  continued  there  three  days.  This  excited  the  curiosity  of  the 
people,  and  led  them  to  devise  measures  to  prevent  his  return  out  of  the 
harbor.  They  accordingly  invented,  and  caused  to  be  wrought  for  them, 
a  harpoon,  with  which  they  attacked  and  killed  the  whale.  This  first 
success  encouraged  them  to  undertake  whaling  as  a  permanent  business, 
whales  being  at  that  time  numerous  in  the.  vicinity  of  the  shores.  In 
furtherance  of  their  design,  they  made  a  contract  with  James  Lopar  to 
settle  on  the  island  and  engage  in  the  business." 

Lopar  made  a  contract  with  some  of  the  islanders,  and  a  company  was 
organized  for  the  purpose  of  carrying  on  the  business  systematically. 
An  agreement  was  drawn  up  and  duly  signed,  allowing  Lopar  one  third 
of  the  proceeds,  and  two  thirds  to  those  who  embarked  in  the  enterprise 
with  him. 

"  As  it  now  appeared  that  there  was  a  prospect  of  carrying  the  busi 
ness  of  whaling  into  effect,  the  town,  willing  to  give  it  every  encourage 
ment  that  it  required,  agreed  with  John  Savage  to  remove  thither  with 
his  family,  and  to  serve  them  in  the  occupation  of  cooper ;  and,  to  induce 
his  compliance,  to  give  him  ten  acres  of  land,  and  commonage  for  three 
cows  and  one  horse — nearly  on  the  same  conditions  as  those  above  men 
tioned  in  relation  to  Lopar. 

"  How  far  this  plan  succeeded  we  are  in  a  great  measure  unacquainted  ; 
the  profits  of  the  business,  however,  were  sufficient  to  encourage  its 
pursuit.  Finding  that  the  people  of  Cape  Cod  had  made  greater  profi 
ciency  in  the  art  of  whale  catching  than  themselves,  the  inhabitants,  in 
1690,  sent  thither  and  employed  a  man  by  the  name  of  Ichabod  Paddock, 
to  instruct  them  in  the  best  manner  of  killing  whales  and  extracting  their 
oil.  The  pursuit  of  whales  commenced  in  boats  from  the  shore,  and  in 
creased  from  year  to  year  till  it  became  the  principal  branch  of  business 
with  the  islanders.  The  Indians,  ever  manifesting  a  disposition  for  fish 
ing  of  every  kind,  readily  joined  with  the  whites  in  this  new  pursuit,  and 
willingly  submitted  to  any  station  assigned  them.  By  their  assistance 
the  whites  were  enabled  to  fit  out  and  man  a  far  greater  number  of  boats 
than  they  could  have  done  of  themselves.  Nearly  every  boat  was 
manned  in  part,  many  almost  entirely,  by  natives  :  some  of  the  most 


APPENDIX.  517 

active  of  them  were  made  steersmen,  and  some  were  allowed  now  to 
head  the  boats  :  thus  encouraged,  they  soon  became  experienced  whale 
men,  and  capable  of  conducting  any  part  of  the  business. 

"They  sometimes,  in  pleasant  days  during  the  winter  season,  ventured 
off  in  their  boats  nearly  out  of  sight  of  land.  It  has  often  been  remarked 
by  the  aged,  that  the  winters  were  not  so  windy  and  boisterous  at  that 
time  as  at  present,  though  quite  as  cold  ;  and  that  it  would  sometimes 
continue  calm  a  week,  or  even  a  fortnight. 

"  The  process  called  saving  the  whales  after  they  had  been  killed  and 
towed  ashore,  was  to  use  a  crab,  an  instrument  similar  to  a  capstan,  to 
heave  and  turn  the  blubber  off  as  fast  as  it  was  cut.  The  blubber  was 
then  put  into  their  carts  and  carried  to  their  try-houses,  which,  at  that 
early  period,  were  placed  near  their  dwelling-houses,  where  the  oil  was 
boiled  out  and  fitted  for  market. 

"  To  enable  them  to  discover  whales  at  a  considerable  distance  from 
the  land,  a  large  spar  was  erected,  and  cleats  fixed  to  it,  by  which  the 
whalemen  could  climb  to  the  top,  and  there  keep  a  good  look-out  for  their 
game.  There  was  no  perceptible  decrease  of  the  number  of  whales  dur 
ing  the  period  of  the  first  thirty  or  forty  years  from  the  commencement 
of  the  fishery.  It  appears  that  in  1726  they  were  very  numerous,  for 
eighty-six  were  taken  in  that  year,  a  greater  number  than  were  obtained 
in  any  one  year  either  before  or  since  that  date.  The  greatest  number 
ever  killed  and  brought  to  shore  in  one  day  was  eleven.  This  mode  of 
whaling  continued  until  about  the  year  1760,  when  the  whales  became 
scarce,  and  it  was  by  degrees  discontinued.  Since  that  date,  whales 
have  only,  occasionally  been  obtained  by  boats  from  the  shore. 

"  It  is  remarkable  that,  notwithstanding  the  people  had  to  learn  the 
business  of  whaling,  and  to  carry  it  on  under  many  hazardous  circum 
stances,  yet  not  a  single  white  person  was  killed  or  drowned  in  the  pur 
suit,  in  the  course  of  seventy  years  preceding  1760.  The  whales  hith 
erto  caught  near  the  shores  were  of  the  right  species. 

"  The  first  spermaceti  whale  known  to  the  inhabitants  was  found  dead, 
and  ashore,  on  the  southwest  part  of  the  island.  It  caused  considerable 
excitement,  some  demanding  a  part  of  the  prize  under  one  pretence, 
some  under  another,  and  all  were  anxious  to  behold  so  strange  an  ani 
mal.  There  were  so  many  claimants  of  the  prize,  that  it  was  difficult  to 
tell  to  whom  it  should  belong.  The  natives  claimed  the  whale  because 
they  found  it ;  the  whites,  to  whom  the  natives  made  known  their  dis 
covery,  claimed  it  by  a  right  comprehended,  as  they  affirmed,  in  the  pur 
chase  of  the  island  by  the  original  patent.  An  officer  of  the  crown  made 
his  claim,  and  pretended  to  seize  the  fish  in  the  name  of  his  majesty  as 
being  property  without  any  particular  owner.  After  considerable  discus 
sion  between  these  contending  parties,  it  was  finally  settled  that  the 
white  inhabitants  who  first  found  the  whale  should  share  the  prize  equal 
ly  among  themselves.  The  teeth,  which  were  considered  very  valuable, 
had  been  extracted  by  a  white  man  and  an  Indian  before  any  others  had 
any  knowledge  of  the  whale.  All  difficulty  being  now  settled,  a  compa- 


518  APPENDIX. 

ny  was  formed,  who  commenced  cutting  the  whale  in  pieces  convenient 
for  transportation  to  their  try- works.  The  sperm  produced  from  the  head 
was  thought  to  be  of  great  value  for  medical  purposes.  It  was  used 
both  as  an  internal  and  an  external  application ;  and  such  was  the  credu 
lity  of  the  people,  that  they  considered  it  a  certain  cure  for  all  diseases  ; 
it  was  sought  with  avidity,  and,  for  a  while,  was  esteemed  to  be  worth 
its  weight  in  silver.  The  whole  quantity  of  oil  obtained  from  this  whale 
is  not  known. 

"  Whales  being  plenty  near  the  shores,  people  were  led  to  conclude 
that  they  should  find  them  still  more  numerous  were  they  to  pursue  them 
with  vessels  into  the  '  deep.'  That  the  pursuit  of  whales  into  the  ocean 
was  early  anticipated,  we  know  by  an  anecdote  related  by  one  of  our  an 
cestors.  In  the  year  1690,  the  same  in  which  Ichabod  Paddock  was  sent 
for  from  Cape  Cod,  as  before  related,  some  persons  were  on  a  high  hill, 
afterward  called  Folly  House  Hill,  observing  the  whales  spouting  and 
sporting  with  each  other,  when  one  observed,  '  There,''  pointing  to  the 
sea,  '  is  a  green  pasture  where  our  children's  grand-children  will  go  for 
bread.1  It  was  many  years,  however,  before  they  began  to  whale  with 
vessels,  but  at  what  precise  time  it  happened  we  have  no  means  of 
knowing. 

"  Previous  to  whaling  in  vessels,  it  was  necessary  to  determine  where 
the  harbor  should  be.  It  has  already  been  mentioned  that  the  one  at 
Madacket  was  at  first  preferred  ;  but  this  was  afterward  relinquished  for 
the  present  harbor,  which  is  larger,  more  land-locked,  and  in  many  other 
respects  better  adapted  to  the  purposes  of  navigation  than  the  first-men 
tioned.  The  south  side  of  this  harbor  was  first  selected  for  the  site  of 
the  town  ;  the  proprietors,  therefore,  laid  out  house  lots,  or  homesteads, 
of  one  hundred  rods  in  length,  and  three  or  four  rods  in  width  ;  but  many 
inconveniences  were  afterward  found  to  attend  this  location,  and  the 
present  situation  of  the  town  was  soon  after  selected.  It  being  now  de 
termined  where  the  town  should  be,  it  became  necessary  to  give  it  a 
name,  and  it  was  accordingly  called  Shcrburne,  by  order  of  Francis  Love 
lace,  Esq.,  governor  of  the  province  of  New  York,  in  his  written  direc 
tions  bearing  date  April  18th,  1673. 

"  The  first  spermaceti  whale  taken  by  the  Nantucket  whalers  was  killed 
by  Christopher  Hussey.  He  was  cruising  near  the  shore  for  right  whales, 
and  was  blown  off  some  distance  from  the  land  by  a  strong  northerly 
wind,  where  he  fell  in  with  a  school  of  that  species  of  whales,  and  killed 
one  and  brought  it  home.  At  what  date  this  adventure  took  place  is  not 
fully  ascertained,  but  it  is  supposed  to  be  not  far  from  1712.  This  event 
gave  new  life  to  the  business,  for  they  immediately  began  with  vessels 
of  about  thirty  tons  to  whale  out  in  the  '  deep,'  as  it  was  then  called,  to 
distinguish  it  from  shore  whaling.  They  fitted  out  for  cruises  of  about 
six  weeks,  carried  a  few  hogsheads,  enough,  perhaps,  to  carry  the  blubbers 
of  one  whale,  with  which,  after  obtaining  it,  they  returned  home.  The 
owners  then  took  charge  of  the  blubber,  and  tried  out  the  oil,  and  imme 
diately  sent  the  vessel  out  again.  At  the  commencement  of  this  mode 


APPENDIX.  519 

of  whaling,  it  was  found  necessary  to  erect  try-houses  near  the  landing, 
and  a  number  were  built  on  the  beach  a  little  south  of  the  wharves. 
North  from  these  they  erected  small  buildings,  called  warehouses,  in 
which  they  put  their  whaling  apparatus  and  other  outfits. 

"  In  1715,  the  number  of  vessels  engaged  in  the  whaling  business  was 
six,  all  sloops,  from  thirty  to  forty  tons  burden  each,  which  produced 
£1100  sterling,  or  $4888  88  cents. 

"  As  the  shipping  increased,  it  was  found  indispensably  necessary  to 
have  wharves.  The  first  built  is  that  now  called  Straight  Wharf,  con 
structed  in  1723.  Previous  to  this,  there  had  been  places  built  off,  called 
landing-places,  which  were  but  temporary,  and  were  often  broken  up  by 
winter  storms. 

"  The  island  was  now  in  a  flourishing  condition.  The  inhabitants 
were  fast  increasing  in  number  and  wealth  ;  the  land  was  principally  pur 
chased  of  the  natives  ;  it  was  very  productive  when  improved  ;  the  na 
tives  were  cordially  enlisted  in  the  service  of  the  whites ;  fish  and  fowls 
were  plenty  ;  the  whaling  had  become  a  most  profitable  employment, 
and  had  promised  business  for  all.  What  a  prospect  must  this  have 
been  to  a  people  like  them,  remarkable  for  their  industry  and  prudence, 
never  so  well  pleased  as  when  they  had  as  much  business  as  they  could 
perform.  This  being  the  general  character  of  the  inhabitants,  they  in 
creased  in  wealth  as  fast  as  could  be  expected.  This  business,  it  is 
true,  did  not  afford  great  profits— less,  perhaps,  than  almost  any  other  ; 
but  the  people,  being  of  a  frugal  disposition,  required  but  little  to  keep 
them  comfortable,  and  there  were  but  few  among  them  who  aspired  after 
great  things. 

"  As  the  whaling  business  was  found  to  answer  their  expectations,  they 
were  encouraged  to  increase  the  number  and  size  of  their  vessels. 
Sloops  and  schooners  of  from  forty  to  fifty  tons  were  put  into  the  busi 
ness.  Vessels  of  this  size  being  supposed  to  be  best  adapted  to  whaling 
near  the  coast,  no  larger  ones  were  employed  for  many  years.  At  length 
whales  began  to  be  scarce  near  the  shore,  and  some  enterprising  persons 
procured  larger  vessels  and  sent  them  out  to  the  southward,  as  it  was 
called,  where  they  cruised  until  about  the  first  of  the  seventh  month, 
when  they  came  in  and  refitted,  and  went  to  the  eastward  of  the  Grand 
Bank,  where  they  continued  through  the  whaling  season,  unless  they 
completed  their  lading  sooner,  which  frequently  happened.  The  vessels 
that  went  on  these  voyages  were  generally  sloops  of  sixty  or  seventy 
tons  ;  their  crews  were  made  up  in  part  of  Indians,  there  being  usually 
from  four  to  eight  in  each  vessel.  They  were  pleased  with  the  business, 
and  always  ready  to  engage  in  it  when  called  upon. 

"  At  the  close  of  the  whaling  season,  the  vessels  were  mostly  drawn 
on  shore  for  the  winter,  being  considered  safer  and  less  expensive  in  that 
situation  than  at  the  wharves.  The  boats  were  placed  on  the  beach  bot 
tom  upward,  and  tied  together,  to  prevent  disasters  in  gales  of  wind,  and 
all  the  whaling  gear  was  put  into  the  warehouses." 

Having  followed  Mr.  Macy  thus  far  in  his  very  interesting  account  of 


520  APPENDIX. 

the  origin  of  the  whale  fishery,  I  shall  endeavor  to  preserve  a  sort  of  con 
nection  of  the  subject  by  introducing  an  outline  of  the  rise  and  progress 
of  this  pursuit  at  other  points  of  the  American  Continent,  and  in  Europe. 
It  does  not  appear  that  Mr.  Macy  claims  for  the  early  settlers  of  Nantucket 
the  honor  of  having  been  the  first  people  near  the  shores  of  this  Continent 
to  engage  in  the  capture  of  the  whale.  This  is  a  matter  about  which  his 
torians  differ,  and  I  believe  it  is  conceded  by  all  to  be  involved  in  much 
obscurity.  The  islanders,  it  appears,  were  encouraged,  by  their  success 
in  capturing  a  whale  which  had  come  into  the  harbor,  to  make  a  contract 
with  one  James  Lopar,  "  to  settle  on  the  island  and  engage  in  the  busi 
ness."  From  this  it  is  but  reasonable  to  infer  that  Lopar  was  not  a  res 
ident  of  the  island,  and  that  he  must  have  had  some  experience  elsewhere 
in  the  catching  of  whales.  Next  it  appears  that  the  people  of  Cape  Cod, 
having  made  "  greater  proficiency  in  the  art  of  whale  catching  than  them 
selves,  the  inhabitants  in  1690  sent  thither  and  employed  a  man  by  the 
name  of  Ichabod  Paddock,  to  instruct  them  in  the  best  manner  of  killing 
whales  and  extracting  their  oil."  How  long  the  people  of  Cape  Cod  had 
been  engaged  in  the  business,  does  not  appear  ;  and,  indeed,  after  a  care 
ful  investigation  of  the  subject,  I  am  constrained  to  believe  this  interest 
ing  point  has  never  been  recorded,  and  can  not  now  be  ascertained,  oth 
erwise  than  by  tradition.  The  precise  date  at  which  the  first  whale  was 
captured  on  the  island  of  Nantucket  is  not  known,  though  it  appears 
that  this  event  took  place  some  time  after  the  settlement  by  the  original 
purchasers  in  1660.  Mr.  Richard  Norwood,  who  resided  at  the  Ber 
mudas,  states,  as  will  be  seen  from  the  extracts  which  I  am  about  to  in 
troduce,  that  the  whale  fishery  had  been  carried  on  in  the  bays  of  those 
islands  for  "  two  or  three  years"  prior  to  1667.  Putting  these  statements 
together — "  several  years  after  the  settlement  of  the  island"  (Nantucket, 
in  1660),  and  "two  or  three  years"  prior  to  1667,  at  the  Bermudas  Isl 
ands,  with  the  proficiency  of  the  people  of  Cape  Cod  in  1690,  and  it  is 
very  difficult  to  decide  to  whom  the  honor  is  due.  I  am  greatly  aided  in 
my  researches  upon  this  point  by  the  following  compilation  from  the 
work  of  a  distinguished  English  writer,  who  seems  to  have  devoted  more 
than  ordinary  attention  to  the  history  of  the  sperm  whale.  Having  given 
a  sketch  of  the  rise  and  progress  of  the  whale  fishery  on  the  island  of 
Nantucket,  it  will  be  interesting  to  glance  for  a  moment  at  the  earliest 
records  extant,  touching  the  same  subject,  elsewhere.  In  the  "  Natural 
History  of  the  Sperm  Whale,"  a  valuable  scientific  work  by  Thomas  Beale, 
Esq.,  surgeon  to  the  "Kent"  and  "Sarah  Elizabeth,"  London  whalers, 
and  Demonstrator  of  Anatomy  to  the  Eclectic  Society,  I  find  the  following 
passages  in  reference  to  the  early  history  of  the  whale  fishery,  and  its 
progress  in  Europe.  It  will  be  seen  that  Dr.  Beale  gives  us  the  credit  of 
having  been  the  first  to  engage  in  this  business,  though  he  claims  for  the 
mother  country  the  honor  of  having  been  the  first  to  open  the  sperm  fish 
ery  in  the  Pacific. 

"  The  origin  of  the  sperm  whale  fishery — that  is,  before  it  became  or 
ganized  as  a  branch  of  commerce — like  the  origin  of  other  fisheries  of  the 


APPENDIX.  521 

same  nature,  is  involved  in  such  deep  mystery  as  almost  altogether  to 
defy  the  searching  acumen  of  the  historian.  Without  looking  into  the 
ancient,  romancing,  and  classical  histories  with  which  most  of  the  coun 
tries  of  Europe  abound,  and  which  contain  wonderful  stories  of  the  ap 
pearance,  death,  or  capture  of  the  sperm  whale,  or  other  creatures  of  the 
same  order,  it  may  be  sufficient  for  some  of  us  to  know,  that  during  the 
early  part  of  the  last  century,  a  few  daring  individuals,  who  inhabited  the 
shores  of  the  American  Continent,  fitted  out  their  little  crafts,  furnished 
with  weak  and  almost  impotent  weapons,  to  attack  and  destroy  in  its  own 
element  the  mighty  monarch  of  the  ocean,  in  order  to  rob  his  immense 
carcass  of  the  valuable  commodity  with  which  it  is  surrounded.  But  even 
as  far  back  as  the  year  1667,  we  find  a  letter,  published  in  the  second  vol 
ume  of  the  Philosophical  Transactions,  from  Mr.  Richard  Norwood,  who 
resided  at  the  Bermudas,  which  states  that  the  whale  fishery  had  been 
carried  on  in  the  bays  of  those  islands  for  '  two  or  three  years,'  evident 
ly  meaning  the  black  whale  fishery ;  for  in  other  parts  he  says,  '  I  hear 
not  that  they  have  found  any  spermaceti  in  any  of  these  whales ;'  but 
subsequently  he  states  in  the  same  letter,  '  I  have  heard  from  credible 
persons  that  there  is  a  kind  of  whale  having  great  teeth,  as  have  the  sper 
maceti  at  Eleutheria,  and  others  of  the  Bahama  Islands.  One  of  this 
place,'  he  continues,  '  John  Perinchief,  found  one  there  dead,  driven  upon 
an  island,  and  though,  I  think,  ignorant  in  the  business,  yet  got  a  great 
quantity  of  spermaceti  out  of  it.' 

"  He  says  again  :  '  It  seems  they -have  not  so  much  oil  as  ours  (mean 
ing  the  black  whale),  but  the  oil,  I  hear,  is  at  first  like  spermaceti,  but 
they  clarify  it,  I  think,  by  the  fire.'  But  in  vol.  iii.,  Phil.  Trans.,  in  a 
letter  from  the  same  place,  written  a  year  or  two  afterward,  we  find 
something  like  a  beginning  of  the  sperm  whale  fishery  threatened  by  a 
Mr.  Richard  Stafford,  who  informs  us  that  he  has  killed  several  black 
whales  himself,  and  who  is  represented  as  a  very  intelligent  gentleman. 
He  says,  '  Great  stores  of  whales  make  use  of  our  coast ;'  but  in  another 
part  he  states,  '  but  here  have  been  seen  spermaceti  whales  driven 
upon  the  shore ;  these  have  divers  teeth,  about  the  bigness  of  a  man's 
wrist.  I  have  been,'  says  he,  '  at  the  Bahama  Islands,  and  there  have 
seen  this  same  sort  of  whale  dead  on  the  shore,  with  sperma  all  over 
their  bodies.  Myself,  and  about  twenty  others,  have  agreed  to  try  whether  we 
can  master  and  kill  them,  for  I  could  never  hear  of  any  of  that  sort  that  was 
killed  by  any  man,  such  is  their  fierceness  and  swiftness.1  He  concludes  by 
remarking,  that  '  one  such  whale  would  be  worth  many  hundred  pounds  !' 
A  weighty  reason  for  the  establishment  of  the  fishery,  no  doubt.  The 
same  writer,  in  another  part  of  his  letter,  states,  '  There  is  one  island 
among  the  Bahamas,  which  some  of  our  people  are  settled  upon,  and 
more  are  going  thither.  It  is  called  New  Providence,  where  many  rare 
things  might  be  discovered,  if  the  people  were  but  encouraged.'  This 
same  New  Providence  afterward  became  so  famous  as  a  whale-fishing  sta 
tion,  by  the  exertions  of  our  American  descendants. 

"  But  even  before  these  needy  adventurers  commenced  their  career  of 

U  u  u 


522  APPENDIX. 

spermaceti  hunting,  we  have  had  it  proved  to  us  that  the  Indians  who 
inhabited  the  shores  of  America  used  to  voyage  out  to  sea  and  attack 
this  animal  from  their  canoes,  and  pierce  him  with  their  lances  of  wood, 
or  other  instruments  of  the  same  material,  which  were  barbed,  and  which, 
before  they  were  plunged  into  his  flesh,  were  fastened  by  a  short  warp, 
or  piece  of  rope,  to  a  large  block  of  light  wood,  which  was  thrown  over 
board  the  moment  the  barbed  instrument  was  thrust  into  its  body,  which, 
being  repeated  at  every  rising  of  the  whale,  or  when  they  were  so  for 
tunate  as  to  get  near  enough  to  do  so,  in  a  few  instances,  by  a  sort  of 
worrying-to-death  system,  rewarded  the  enterprising  savage  with  the 
lifeless  body  of  his  victim,  but  which,  in  most  cases,  was  that  of  a  very 
young  one  ;  and  even  this,  when  towed  to  the  shore,  it  was  impossible  for 
them  to  turn  over,  so  that  they  were  obliged  to  content  themselves  with 
flinching  the  fat  from  one  side  of  the  body  only.  Few,  indeed,  must  these 
instances  have  been,  when  we  consider  the  means  that  were  employed  in 
the  capture  of  so  immense  an  animal,  possessing  such  enormous  strength, 
by  which  their  barbed  spears  or  lances  of  wood  must  have  been  frequently 
shivered  to  atoms,  or  drawn  from  the  flesh  of  the  whale,  by  the  resistance 
the  blocks  of  wood  to  which  they  were  attached  must  have  occasioned 
when  the  animal  became  frightened  into  its  utmost  speed ;  and  when  we 
know  at  the  present  time  that  by  their  powerful  actions  and  convulsive 
movements  the  best  tempered  iron,  of  which  our  harpoons  and  lances  are 
made,  frequently  becomes  twisted  to  pieces,  while  the  boats  which  are 
used  in  the  chase  are  often  thrown  high  into  the  air  with  the  head,  or 
broken  to  fragments  by  one  blow  of  the  tail  of  this  enormous  creature. 

"But  although,  as  has  been  before  stated,  Mr.  Richard  Stafford  had 
threatened  to  commence  the  sperm  whale  fishery  at  the  Bahama  Islands, 
it  appears  rather  doubtful  whether  he  did  so  or  not,  when  we  come  to  pe 
ruse  the  letter  of  the  Hon.  Paul  Dudley,  F.R.S.,  published  in  1724  (Phil. 
Trans.,  vol.  xxxiii.),  an  extract  of  which  states,  '  I  very  lately  received 
of  one  Mr.  Atkins,  an  inhabitant  of  Boston,  in  New  England,  who  used  the 
whale  fishery  for  ten  or  twelve  years  (black  whales),  and  was  one  of  the 
first  that  went  out  a  fishing  for  the  spermaceti  whales,  about  the  year  1720.' 
It  also  appears  in  this  account  that  the  fishery  even  then  was  very  little 
understood,  for  Mr.  Atkins  himself  says,  '  He  never  saw,  nor  certainly 
heard  of  a  spermaceti  female  being  taken  in  his  life ;'  for  he  states,  '  the 
cows  of  that  species  of  whale  being  much  more  timorous  than  the  males, 
and  almost  impossible  to  come  at,  unless  when  haply  found  asleep  upon 
the  water,  or  detained  by  their  calves.' 

"  In  another  part  of  his  letter  the  Hon.  Paul  Dudley  states  :  '  Our  peo 
ple  formerly  used  to  kill  the  whale  near  the  shore,  but  now  they  go  off 
to  sea  in  sloops  and  whale  boats.  Sometimes,'  he  says,  '  the  whale  is 
killed  by  a  single  stroke,  and  yet  at  other  times  she  will  hold  the  whale 
men  in  play  near  half  a  day  together  with  their  lances,  and  sometimes  they 
will  get  away  after  they  have  been  lanced,  and  spouted  thick  blood,  with 
irons  in  them  and  drags  (drouges)  fastened  to  them,  which  are  thick 
boards  about  fourteen  inches  square.' 


APPENDIX.  523 

"  But  even  after  the  capture  of  the  sperm  whale  had  occasionally  heen 
carried  on  in  ships  by  the  descendants  of  the  European  settlers  upon 
the  American  shores,  who  struck  the  whales  with  the  harpoon,  having  a 
log  of  wood  attached,  after  the  Indian  fashion,  it  was  a  considerable  time 
before  any  great  improvement  manifested  itself  in  their  mode  of  fishing. 
Presumptuous  indeed  was  he  deemed  who  first  proposed  to  chase  and  cap 
ture  such  huge  beings  in  small  boats,  and  by  the  aid  of  lines  at  the  end  of 
which  was  attached  the  harpoon,  by  which  they  could  draw  themselves  to 
the  harpooned  whale  whenever  they  wished  to  destroy  it  with  the  lance. 

"  An  American  whaler,  who  had  been  bred  from  his  boyhood  in  the  ser 
vice,  informed  me  that  his  grand-father  had  been  employed  on  a  whaling 
expedition  in  a  small  vessel  off  the  coast  of  America,  and  that,  having 
experienced  a  great  deal  of  ill  success  in  consequence  of  their  being  un 
able  to  capture  any  whales  by  means  of  the  log  harpoon,  the  captain  of 
their  little  barque  wished  them  to  make  trial  of  the  method  of  which  they 
had  just  heard,  by  the  boat  and  line ;  but  to  his  irresolute  seamen  the 
idea  seemed  monstrous  ;  the  mere  thought  of  having  the  boat  they  were 
in  attached  to  an  infuriated  leviathan  by  a  strong  rope  struck  terror 
among  the  whole  crew.  '  What,'  said  they,  <  shall  we  be  dragged  to 
the  bottom  of  the  sea  1  Shall  we  be  towed  with  the  velocity  of  lightning 
to  the  other  side  of  the  world]  Shall  we  be  torn  to  pieces  by  the  jaws 
of  the  monstrous  fish  that  we  may  be  fastened  to1?'  In  vain  did  their 
captain  explain  to  them  the  various  means  they  could  employ  to  avoid  those 
anticipated  dangers  ;  he  urged  their  reason  to  note  the  excellence  of  the 
plan,  but  his  eloquence  proved  of  no  avail ;  so  fearful  were  they  of  this 
dangerous  innovation  on  their  old  method,  that  the  very  rope  which  the 
captain  had  prepared  for  the  service  was  pointed  through  the  ship's  stern 
during  the  night,  and  allowed  to  run  overboard.  But,  nevertheless,  oth 
ers  more  daring  undertook  the  trial  soon  afterward,  in  which  they  fre 
quently  came  off  victorious,  so  that  the  new  method  was  established 
among  them,  and  has  since  been  much  improved. 

"  The  fishery  was  thus  carried  on  at  first  by  a  few  individuals  in  Amer 
ica  from  their  own  shores  ;  but,  as  their  numbers  increased,  the  quantity 
of  whales  diminished  ;  so  that,  in  a  few  years,  they  had  not  only  destroyed 
great  numbers  of  these  useful  animals,  but  had  driven  the  remainder  to 
find  more  secure  retreats,  in  which  they  could  follow  their  natural  incli 
nations  without  being  harassed  by  the  chase  or  wounded  by  the  harpoon 

"  But,  about  the  year  1771,  we  find  that  the  American  navigators  were 
engaged  with  extraordinary  ardor  in  the  whale  fisheries  which  were  car 
ried  on  in  the  North  and  South  Atlantic  Oceans.  From  the  year  1771  to 
1775,  Massachusetts  alone  employed  annually  183  vessels,  carrying  13,820 
tons  in  the  former,  and  121  vessels,  carrying  14,026  tons  in  the  latter. 

"  Mr.  Burke,  in  his  famous  speech  on  American  affairs  in  1774,  ad  vert 
ed,  to  this  wonderful  display  of  daring  enterprise  in  the  following  eloquent 
words :  '  As  to  the  wealth,'  said  he,  '  which  the  colonists  have  drawn 
from  the  sea  by  their  fisheries,  you  had  all  that  matter  fully  opened  at 
vour  bar.  You  surely  thought  these  acquisitions  of  value,  for  they  seemed 


524  APPENDIX. 

to  excite  your  envy ;  and  yet  the  spirit  by  which  that  enterprising  em 
ployment  has  been  exercised,  ought  rather,  in  my  opinion,  to  have  raised 
your  esteem  and  admiration.  And  pray,  sir,  what  in  the  world  is  equal 
to  it  1  Pass  by  the  other  parts,  and  look  at  the  manner  in  which  the 
New  England  people  carry  on  the  whale  fishery.  While  we  follow  them 
among  the  trembling  mountains  of  ice,  and  behold  them  penetrating  into 
the  deepest  frozen  recesses  of  Hudson's  and  Davis's  Straits — while  we  are 
looking  for  them  beneath  the  Arctic  circle,  we  hear  that  they  have  pierced 
into  the  opposite  region  of  the  polar  cold — that  they  are  at  the  antipodes, 
and  engaged  under  the  frozen  serpent  of  the  south.  Falkland  Island, 
which  seems  too  remote  for  the  grasp  of  national  ambition,  is  but  a  stage 
and  resting-place  for  their  victorious  industry.  Nor  is  the  equinoctial 
heat  more  discouraging  to  them  than  the  accumulated  winter  of  both 
poles.  We  learn  that,  while  some  of  them  draw  the  line  or  strike  the 
harpoon  on  the  coast  of  Africa,  others  run  the  longitude,  and  pursue  their 
gigantic  game  along  the  coast  of  Brazil.  No  sea  but  what  is  vexed  with 
their  fisheries,  no  climate  that  is  not  witness  of  their  toils.  Neither  the 
perseverance  of  Holland,  nor  the  activity  of  France,  nor  the  dexterous 
and  firm  sagacity  of  English  enterprise,  ever  carried  this  most  perilous 
mode  of  hardy  industry  to  the  extent  to  which  it  has  been  pursued  by 
these  recent  people — a  people  who  are  still  in  the  gristle,  and  not  hard 
ened  into  manhood.' 

"  Whether  this  eloquent  address  had  any  effect  or  not  upon  the  minds 
of  our  own  merchants  and  ship-owners  in  stimulating  them  to  fit  out  ships 
for  the  sperm  and  other  whale  fisheries,  I  am  not  aware,  but  it  is  certain 
that  in  the  following  year  (1775)  the  first  attempt  was  made  to  establish 
the  sperm  whale  fishery  from  Britain  ;  and  we  accordingly  find,  from  pri 
vate  statements  on  which  I  can  securely  rely,  that  ships  of  from  100  to 
109  tons  burden  were  &ent  to  South  Greenland,  the  coast  of  Brazil,  the 
Falkland  Islands,  and  the  Gulf  of  Guinea,  for  the  purpose  of  procuring 
sperm  and  other  oils.  The  names  of  the  ships  which  were  thus  employed 
in  these  distinct  expeditions  were  the  '  Union,'  '  Neptune,'  '  Rocking- 
ham,'  'America,'  'Abigail,'  'Hanover,'  'Industry,'  'Dennis,'  'Beaver,' 
and  '  Sparrow ;'  but  the  principal  places  of  resort  of  the  spermaceti 
whale  not  having  been  yet  discovered,  these  vessels  met  with  very  tri 
fling  success. 

"  In  the  following  year,  1776,  the  government,  with  a  view  to  stimulate 
all  persons  engaged  in  these  fisheries,  established  a  principle  of  reward 
for  those  ships  which  were  most  successful  in  their  endeavors  ;  in  ac 
cordance  with  which,  five  different  bounties  or  premiums  were  offered, 
forming  a  scale  of  prizes  for  those  who  were  so  fortunate  as  to  prove  the 
five  gradations  of  success  ;  the  sum  of  five  hundred  pounds  being  the  max 
imum,  and  that  of  one  hundred  being  the  minimum  prize. 

"  In  1781,  four  ships  were  fitted  out  for  the  River  St.  Lawrence,  but  after 
they  had  been  out  a  considerable  time,  they  returned  with  the  discoura 
ging  announcement  of  having  only  procured  six  gallons  of  sperm  oil  among 
them  during  the  whole  time  of  their  absence. 


APPENDIX.  525 

"  In  1784,  France,  which,  it  appears,  had  preceded  the  other  nations  of 
Europe  in  the  whale  fishery,  but  had  for  many  years  past,  for  some  cause 
or  other,  hardly  had  any  share  in  it,  now  endeavored  to  revive  it,  and 
with  this  view  Louis  XVI.  fitted  out  six  ships  from  Dunkirk  on  his  own 
account,  which  were  furnished,  at  a  great  expense,  with  a  number  of  ex 
perienced  harpooners  and  able  seamen  from  Nantucket. 

The  adventure  was  more  successful  than  could  have  been  reasonably 
expected,  considering  the  auspices  under  which  it  was  carried  on.  Sev 
eral  private  individuals  followed  the  example  of  his  majesty,  according 
to  Mr.  M'Culloch,  'and  in  1790  France  had  about  forty  ships  employed 
in  the  fishery.  The  Revolutionary  war  destroyed  every  vestige  of  this  ris 
ing  trade.  Since  the  peace,  the  government  has  made  great  efforts  for 
its  renewal,  but  hitherto  without  success ;  and  it  is  singular  that,  with 
the  exception  of  an  American  house  at  Dunkirk,  hardly  any  one  had 
thought  of  sending  out  a  ship  from  France.' 

"In  the  year  1785,  the  English  ship  'Masters'  began  to  discover  the 
haunts  of  the  sperm  whale,  the  principal  object  of  pursuit ;  for  we  find 
that  after  they  had  been  out  about  twelve  months,  many  vessels  returned 
with  from  twenty  to  eighty  tons  of  sperm  oil  each  ;  so  that,  in  the  year 
1786,  we  find  three  hundred  and  twenty-seven  tons  of  sperm  oil  was  brought 
to  this  country,  which  sold  for  £43  per  ton ;  and  the  success  which 
attended  our  whaling  expeditions  at  this  time  was  quite  equal  to  that 
which  the  American  whalers  met  with. 

"  In  1786,  the  bounties  were  increased  to  £700  maximum  and  £300  min 
imum,  which  had  the  effect  of  increasing  the  perseverance  and  activity 
of  our  whalers,  for  we  now  discover  them  staying  out  eighteen  and  even 
twenty-eight  months,  and  bringing  home  much  larger  quantities  of  sperm 
oil.  During  the  year  1788,  the  ships  that  were  sent  out  were  much  in 
creased  in  size,  so  that  they  were  frequently  of  from  150  to  300  tons  bur 
den  ;  and  they  still  continued,  like  the  Americans,  to  fish  on  this  side  of 
Cape  Horn,  taking  the  common  black  as  well  as  the  sperm  whale  at  such 
places  as  the  Gulf  of  Guinea,  the  coast  of  Brazil,  the  Falkland  Islands, 
and,  for  sperm  whales  in  particular,  about  the  equinoctial  line.  But  if 
the  Americans  had  been  the  first  to  establish  the  fishery  on  their  own 
shores,  and  even  throughout  the  North  and  South  Atlantic  Oceans,  it  was 
the  destiny  of  the  mother  country  to  enjoy  the  honor  of  opening  the  in 
valuable  sperm  fisheries  of  the  two  Pacifies,  the  discovery  of  which  formed 
an  era  in  the  commercial  history  of  this- country  ;  for  not  only  was  the 
sperm  whale  fishery  by  this  discovery  prodigiously  increased,  but  other 
commercial  advantages  rapidly  accrued  from  the  whalers  who  resorted 
to  these  seas,  opening  a  trade  with  the  people  who  inhabited  the  extensive 
shores  which  bound  the  enormous  ocean. 

" '  The  importance  of  the  southern  whale  fishery,'  says  a  gentleman 
who  is  deeply  conversant  with  the  whole  subject,  « has  never  been  duly 
appreciated.  It  is  not  generally  known,'  he  says,  '  that  it  is  to  this  im 
portant  branch  of  trade  and  nursery  for  seamen  that  we  owe  the  opening 
of  commerce  with  South  America,  and  which  even  caused  the  separation 


526  APPENDIX. 

of  the  Spanish  colonies  in  the  Pacific  Ocean  from  the  parent  state.  So 
meanly  jealous  was  Spain  of  the  interference  of  foreigners  with  the  trade 
of  her  American  colonies,  that  it  was  with  the  greatest  difficulty,  on  the 
opening  of  the  sperm  whale  fishery  in  the  Pacific,  that  we  could  obtain 
permission  for  our  ships  to  cruise  within  a  hundred  Italian  miles  of  their 
coasts  ;  and  it  was  only  through  a  few  of  our  ships  at  first  claiming  the 
right  of  wooding  and  watering  in  a  friendly  port,  that  a  trade  was  first 
established,  which  spread  in  all  directions  the  moment  the  great  mutual 
advantages  were  felt.  The  enterprise  of  the  ship-owners,'  he  continues, 
'  engaged  in  the  whale  fishery  knew  no  bounds.  They  sent  ships  to  all 
parts  of  the  world — to  places  at  which  no  merchant  vessel  would  have 
had  cause  to  venture,  so  that  lands  were  visited  upon  which  important 
colonies  have  been  formed.  What  merchant  vessel  would  have  visited 
Van  Diemen's  Land,  or  even  Australia1!  Having  no  object  or  prospect 
of  gain,  and  lying,  as  they  both  did,  out  of  the  track  of  our  merchantmen, 
it  is  not  to  be  believed  that  they  could  have  been  much  visited  by  them. 
But  our  whaling  vessels  cruising  for  whales  examined  their  shores  and 
brought  home  information  respecting  their  value,  and,  what  was  still  more 
important,  they  carried  out  people  to  reside  upon  them,  and  establish  a 
regular  communication  between  them  and  our  own  country,  by  which  the 
wants  of  the  primitive  settlers  could  be  supplied,  and  their  persons  pro 
tected,  and  which  could  not  have  been  done  by  other  ships  except  at  a 
frightful  expense  ;  at  a  time,  too,  when  the  settlement  of  the  above  now 
valuable  and  flourishing  colonies  was  a  mere  experiment,  with  many 
sneering  at  the  project  as  an  ignis  fatuus,  evidence  inclines  us  to  believe 
that  these  colonies  would  never  have  existed  had  it  not  been  for  whaling 
vessels  approaching  their  shores.  It  is  a  fact,  that  the  original  settlers 
at  Botany  Bay  were  more  than  once  saved  from  starvation  by  the  timely 
arrival  of  some  whaling  vessels. 

"  '  But  if  our  commerce  has  received  benefit  from  our  southern  whaling 
expeditions,  our  intimate  knowledge  of  the  Polynesian  islanders  has  also 
arisen  from  the  same  means  ;  and  if  missionaries  have  gone  to  reside 
among  these  people,  with  the  view  of  spreading  among  them  a  belief  in 
the  Christian  faith,  these  messengers  have  been  preceded  by  the  whaler, 
who  has  opened  a  barter  with  the  savage,  and  brought  about  a  friendly 
regard  toward  us,  by  which  he  has  secured  a  ready  welcome  to  the  mis 
sionaries  ;  and  they  are  doing  so  at  the  present  hour  at  New  Guinea, 
New  Ireland,  New  Britain,  and  at  hundreds  of  islands  in  the  South  Pa 
cific.  New  Zealand  has  been  succeeded  with  in  the  same  way  ;  and  if  it 
was  not  for  these  preliminary  meetings,  not  a  missionary  would  dare  to 
step  upon  their  shores.' 

"  In  1788,  the  grand  mercantile  speculation  of  sending  ships  round  Cape 
Horn  into  the  Pacific,  in  order  to  extend  the  sperm  whale  fishery,  was 
reserved  for  the  bold  and  enterprising  mind  of  Mr.  Enderby,  a  London 
merchant  and  ship-owner,  who  fitted  out,  at  a  vast  expense,  the  ship 
'Amelia,'  Captain  Shields,  which  sailed  from  England  on  the  first  of 
September,  1788,  and  returned  on  the  12th  of  March,  1790,  making  an 


APPENDIX.  527 

absence  of  one  year  and  seven  months,  but  bringing  home  the  enormous 
cargo  of  139  tons  of  sperm  oil !  and  likewise  having  the  good  fortune  to 
receive  £800  more  by  way  of  an  increased  bounty,  in  consequence  of  the 
peculiar  nature  of  the  expedition.  The  '  Amelia'  having  been  the  first 
ship  of  any  country  which  had  entered  the  Pacific  in  search  of  whales, 
her  success  gave  an  amazing  impulse  to  all  persons  engaged  in  the  fish 
eries,  so  that  several  ships,  both  from  this  country  and  America,  immedi 
ately  followed  in  her  track ;  for  on  her  return  in  1790,  many  vessels  were 
directly  sent  off,  the  crews  of  which  continued  the  fishery  along  the  coast 
of  Chili  and  Peru  with  great  advantage,  so  that  in  1791  we  had  a  great 
addition  in  the  importation  of  sperm  oil,  amounting  this  year  to  1258  tons, 
making  an  increase  over  the  importation  in  the  year  1786  of  931  tons. 

"  In  1791  the  bounties  were  again  altered,  but  the  alteration  merely  re 
lated  to  the  time  the  ships  should  remain  out.  The  ships  which  were  at 
this  time  engaged  in  the  fishery  carried  from  twenty-two  to  thirty  men 
each.  This  enterprising  branch  of  commerce  was  carried  on  year  after 
year  with  considerable  success,  subject  to  but  slight  variations  in  the  an 
nual  and  gradual  increase  in  the  importation  of  oil,  giving  employment  to 
a  vast  number  of  persons,  many  of  whom  were  enriched  to  an  immense 
amount  by  the  success  which  attended  their  exertions  in  this  profitable 
pursuit. 

"  In  the  year  1802,  ships  were  sent  to  whale  off  the  island  of  New  Zea 
land,  where  they  frequently  met  with  considerable  success.  In  1803,  many 
vessels  were  ploughing  the  China  Seas,  about  the  Molucca  Islands,  in 
search  of  the  sperm  whale,  and  with  the  same  encouraging  results.  In 
passing  over  a  lapse  of  sixteen  years,  we  have  nothing  to  remark,  except 
that  there  was  still  a  gradual  increase  in  the  importation  of  sperm  oil, 
from  a  greater  number  of  ships  being  employed  in  this  adventurous  trade, 
to  which  every  year  added  fresh  experience,  by  which  they  became  better 
fitted  and  manned,  and,  therefore,  the  more  qualified  to  war  with  and  cap 
ture  the  '  giant  of  the  main.' 

"  In  1819,  another  great  impulse  was  given  to  the  fishery  by  the  indefat 
igable  and  enterprising  Mr.  Enderby,  who  had  not  only  joined  the  govern 
ment,  in  1793,  in  the  expense  of  fitting  out  a  ship,  commanded  by  Captain 
James  Colnett,  to  undertake  a  voyage  to  the  South  Seas,  with  a  view  to 
extend  the  sperm  whale  fishery  there,  but  in  this  year  (1819)  formed  the 
scheme,  and  actually  fitted  out  at  his  own  expense  a  large  ship  of  500  tons 
burden,  called  the  '  Siren,'  commanded  by  Captain  Coffin,  with  a  crew 
of  thirty-six  seamen,  for  the  purpose  of  sending  her  on  an  experimental 
voyage  to  the  far  distant  sea  of  Japan,  to  prosecute  the  sperm  whale  fish 
ery  in  that  remote  part  of  the  world. 

"  The  '  Siren'  sailed  from  England  on  the  3d  of  August,  1819,  and  ar 
rived  off  the  coast  of  Japan  on  the  5th  of  April,  1820,  where  she  fell  in  with 
immense  numbers  of  the  spermaceti  whale,  which  her  crew  gave  chase 
to  with  excellent  success ;  for  they  returned  to  their  native  land  on  the 
21st  of  April,  1822,  after  an  absence  of  about  two  years  and  eight  months, 
during  which  time  they  had,  by  their  industry,  courage,  and  perseverance, 


528  APPENDIX. 

gathered  from  the  confines  of  the  North  Pacific  Ocean  no  less  than  the 
enormous  quantity  of  three  hundred  and  forty-six  tons  of  sperm  oil,  which 
was  brought  into  the  port  of  London  in  safety  and  triumph,  showing  a 
success  unprecedented  in  the  annals  of  whaling,  and  which  astonished 
and  stimulated  to  exertion  all  those  engaged  in  the  trade  throughout  Eu 
rope  and  America.  The  success  which  attended  this  expedition  not  only 
rewarded  the  seamen  and  others  who  composed  her  crew,  but  the  spirited 
man  who  had  sent  them  out  also  must  have  felt  the  solid  and  weighty 
considerations  which  he  no  doubt  received  in  return  for  the  great  and 
successful  enterprise  to  which  he  had  given  origin. 

"After  the  return  of  the  'Siren,'  the  Japan  fishery  was  speedily  estab 
lished,  and  remains  to  this  day  the  principal  one  of  both  Pacifies  ;  and  al 
though  it  has  been  so  much  resorted  to  by  ships  of  different  nations  ever 
since,  which  have  carried  off  immense  quantities  of  sperm  oil,  yet  such 
is  the  boundless  space  of  ocean  throughout  which  it  exists,  that  the  whales 
scarcely  appear  to  be  reduced  in  number.  But  they  are  much  more  dif 
ficult  to  get  near  than  they  were  some  years  back,  on  account  of  the  fre 
quent  harassing  they  have  met  with  from  boats  and  ships  ;  so  that  they 
have  become  now  well  aware  of  the  reckless  nature  of  their  pursuers, 
and  they  evince  great  caution  and  instinct  in  avoiding  them.  Notwith 
standing  the  great  success  which  had  attended  the  single-handed  yet  im 
portant  efforts  of  Mr.  Enderby,  in  having  been  the  means  of  establishing 
two  great  fisheries,  by  which  numbers  of  persons  were  employed,  as  well 
as  those  who  were  engaged  on  shipboard,  his  enterprising  mind  still  con 
tinued  to  be  prompted  by  the  laudable  ambition  of  discovering  others  in 
a  far  different  portion  of  the  globe  to  either  of  the  preceding.  With  this 
view  he  fitted  out  the  '  Swan,'  of  150  tons  burden,  commanded  by  Cap 
tain  M'Clain,  which  sailed  on  the  3d  of  June,  1823,  to  undertake  a  voyage 
to  the  ' Seychelle  Islands,'  for  the  purpose  of  searching  for  the  sperm 
whale  ;  directing  the  captain,  at  the  same  time,  to  prosecute  the  fishery, 
if  possible,  at  the  entrance  of  the  'Red  Sea'  and  'Persian  Gulf;'  but 
although  this  third  experimental  expedition  did  not  prove  so  beneficial  to 
the  crew  and  owner  as  the  two  former  had  done,  still  the  voyage  of 
the  '  Swan'  to  those  places  had  the  effect  of  opening  the  new  fishery  of 
the  '  Seychelles'  to  the  great  advantage  of  the  commercial  interests  of 
this  country,  which  was  manifested  by  the  number  of  ships  which  soon 
resorted  to  it  for  the  purpose  of  whaling.  For  although  the  '  Swan'  did 
not  return  until  the  27th  of  April,  1825,  and  had  only  procured  forty  tons 
of  sperm  oil  during  all  the  time  of  her  absence,  yet  her  want  of  entire 
success  was  not  owing  to  the  absence  of  whales  at  the  places  to  which 
they  were  sent,  for  the  crew  saw  immense  numbers,  but  from  a  series 
of  misfortunes  which  befell  them,  and  which  rendered  them  incapable  of 
prosecuting  the  fishery  with  all  the  energy  and  entire  devotion  which  it 
requires  to  bring  about  a  successful  termination.  The  ship  which  resort 
ed  to  the  '  Seychelles'  after  the  return  of  the  '  Swan'  had  good  reason 
to  be  well  satisfied  with  the  success  which  attended  their  efforts,  not  only 
from  the  number  of  whales  which  they  found  there,  but  from  its  being  so 


APPENDIX.  529 

much  nearer  home  than  the  Japan  fishery,  by  which  much  time  was  saved 
in  the  outward  and  homeward  passages. 

«  During  the  year  1821,  the  government,  finding  that  the  sperm  whale 
fishery  was  fully  established,  thought  proper  to  discontinue  the  system  of 
the  bounties,  so  that  the  crews  of  the  various  ships  which  resorted  to 
the  fisheries  were  made  to  depend  altogether  upon  the  success  of  their 
own  exertions. 

"  In  1823,  the  first  introduction  of  sperm  oil  from  the  colonies  took  place, 
the  principal  part  of  which  was  brought  from  Sidney ;  and  when,  in  1826, 
the  imperial  measure  was  introduced,  we  find  the  enormous  quantity  of 
sperm  oil  altogether  imported  into  London  during  that  year  amounted  to 
6083  tons  !  while  the  ships  that  were  employed  in  the  fishery  were  of 
from  300  to  400  tons. 

"  In  1827,  5552  tons  were  imported  ;  in  1828  there  was  a  great  decrease 
in  the  supply,  as  only  3731  tons  arrived ;  but  in  1829  the  importation 
again  increased  to  5558  tons. 

"  In  the  year  1830,  from  some  cause,  the  supply  was  again  greatly  re 
duced,  as  only  4792  tons  were  imported  ;  but  in  the  following  year  of  1831, 
the  importation  rose  suddenly  to  its  maximum  height,  as  the  enormous 
quantity  of  7605  imperial  tons  was  introduced.  In  1832  a  slight  decrease 
to  7165  tons  took  place,  and  in  1833  a  still  farther  reduction  to  6057 
tons,  but  in  1834  it  rallied  again  slightly,  and  6731  tons  were  the  impor 
tation.  The  ships  engaged  at  this  time  in  the  fishery  from  this  coun 
try  were  about  ninety  in  number,  and  from  300  to  400  tons  burden, 
the  average  duration  of  their  voyages  being  three  years  and  three 
months. 

"In  the  year  1836,  7001  tons  were  imported,  by  which  we  perceive 
scarcely  any  or  no  diminution  in  the  proceeds  of  fishery,  although  it  was 
not  so  great  as  in  the  successful  maximum  year  of  1831,  when  the  im 
portation  amounted  to  7601  imperial  tons :  a  success  which  stimulates  the 
adventurer  in  this  '  most  perilous  mode  of  hardy  industry.'  " 

Having  thus  given  Beale's  version  of  the  origin  of  the  whale  fishery 
on  the  American  Continent,  and  traced  the  progress  of  European  nations 
in  the  extension  of  that  pursuit  almost  to  the  present  period,  let  us 
again  revert  to  Mr.  Macy's  sketch  of  the  rise  and  progress  of  our  own 
fishery,  omitting  such  portions  as  relate  to  the  general  history  of  the 
island. 

"  As  the  number  of  inhabitants  [on  the  Island  of  Nantucket]  increased, 
the  whaling  business  was  carried  on  more  extensively.  Larger  vessels, 
and  a  greater  number,  were  employed,  requiring,  consequently,  a  greater 
number  of  men.  The  island  did  not  furnish  seamen  enough  to  man  the 
fleet,  and  recourse  was  had  to  various  parts  of  Cape  Cod,  and  thence 
westward  as  far  as  Long  Island.  From  these  sources  there  was  at  that 
time  a  sufficient  supply  of  men  to  render  that  part  of  the  business  not 
difficult." 

In  the  year  1745,  they  commenced  the  business  of  exporting  their  oil 
to  England. 

Xxx 


530  APPENDIX. 

"The  whale  fishery  gradually  increased,  and  as  new  countries  and 
coasts  were  explored,  the  voyages  necessarily  became  longer.  The  fol 
lowing  schedule  will  show,  as  nearly  as  can  be  ascertained,  the  times 
when  the  fishery  commenced  at  some  places,  previous  to  the  Revolution 
ary  war,  viz. : 

"  The  Island  of  Disco,  in  the  mouth  of  Baffin's  Bay,  in  the  year  1751. 

"  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence,  in  the  year  1761. 

"Davis's  Straits,  in  the  year  1746. 

"  Coast  of  Guinea,  in  the  year  1763. 

"  Western  Islands,  in  the  year  1765. 

"Eastward  of  the  Banks  of  Newfoundland,  in  the  year  1765. 

"  Coast  of  Brazil,  in  the  year  1774. 

"  The  business  was  carried  on  in  shorter  voyages  at  the  Grand  Banks, 
Cape  Verd  Islands,  various  parts  of  the  West  Indies,  in  the  Bay  of  Mex 
ico,  the  Caribbean  Sea,  and  on  the  coast  of  the  Spanish  Main,  &c.  The 
following  table  shows  the  number  of  vessels,  and  the  quantity  of  oil  ob 
tained  within  the  period  of  ten  years  : 


Date.  No-  of  Vesels.  No.  of  Barrels. 

1762  78         9,440 

1763  60         9,238 

1764  72        11,983 

1765  101        11,512 

1766  11-8  11,969 


/ate.  No.  bf  Vessels.  No.  of  Barrels. 

1768  125        15,439 

1769  119        19,140 

1770  125        14,331 

1771  115        12,754 

1772  98        7,825 


1767  108  16,561 

"Between  the  years  1770  and  1775  the  whaling  business  increased  to 
an  extent  hitherto  unparalleled.  In  1770  there  were  little  more  than  one 
hundred  vessels  engaged  [125],  and  in  1775  the  number  exceeded  150, 
some  of  them  large  brigs." 

"Many  branches  of  labor  were  conducted  by  those  who  were  immedi 
ately  interested  in  the  voyages.  The  young  men,  with  few  exceptions, 
were  brought  up  to  some  trade  necessary  to  the  business.  The  rope- 
maker,  the  cooper,  the  blacksmith,  the  carpenter — in  fine,  the  workmen 
were  either  the  ship-owners  or  of  their  household  ;  so  were  the  officers 
and  men  who  navigated  the  vessels  and  killed  the  whales.  While  a  ship 
was  at  sea,  the  owners  at  home  were  busily  employed  in  the  manufacture 
of  casks,  iron-work,  cordage,  blocks,  and  other  articles  for  the  succeeding 
voyage.  Thus  the  profits  of  labor  were  enjoyed  by  those  interested  in 
the  fishery,  and  voyages  were  rendered  advantageous,  even  where  the 
oil  obtained  was  barely  sufficient  to  pay  the  outfits,  estimating  the  labor 
as  a  part  thereof." 

"  The  first  manufactory  of  sperm  candles  in  this  country  was  estab 
lished  in  Rhode  Island,  a  little  previous  to  1750,  by  Benjamin  Crab,  an 
Englishman."  "In  1761  there  were  eight  manufactories  in  New  Eng 
land  and  one  in  Philadelphia." 

"  The  following  table,  copied  from  a  report  to  Congress  by  Thomas 
Jefferson,  shows  the  state  of  the  whale  fishery  in  Massachusetts  between 
the  years  1771  and  1775." 

It  is  hardly  necessary  to  give  this  table  in  full.  The  most  interesting 
items  embraced  in  it  are  as  follow  : 


APPENDIX. 


531 


Ports  from  which  the  equipments 
were  made. 

Number  of 
Vessels. 

Their 
tonnage. 

Seamen 
employed. 

Nantucket    
Wellfleet 

150 
30 

15,075 
2  600 

2,025 
420 

80 

6  500 

1  040 

Lynn  . 
Martha's  Vineyard    . 
BarnsUble    
Boston      
Fal  mouth,  Barnstable  Co.  . 
Swanzey  

2 
12 
2 
20 
4 
4 
304 

195 
720 
150 

2,000 
300 
300 
27,840 

'  28 
156 
26 
260 
52 
52 
~47)59 

From  this  period  until  the  close  of  the  Revolutionary  war  little  was 
done  in  the  whale  fishery.  During  the  greater  part  of  the  time  it  was 
entirely  suspended,  and  the  inhabitants  of  Nantucket  were  reduced  to 
great  distress.  I  must  necessarily,  from  want  of  space,  pass  over  this 
interesting  period  in  the  history  of  the  whale  fishery,  merely  quoting  Mr. 
Macy's  summary  of  the  number  of  vessels  lost  and  captured. 

"  During  the  war,  15  vessels  were  lost  at  sea,  and  134  were  captured  ; 
total  loss  in  tonnage,  12,467  tons,  of  which  more  than  10,000  tons  fell 
into  the  hands  of  the  enemy.  It  would  be  difficult  at  this  period  to  make 
an  estimate  of  the  value  of  those  vessels  ;  many  of  them  had  on  board 
valuable  cargoes.  They  were  navigated  by  the  youth  and  manhood  of 
the  island.  Of  the  crews,  some  perished  miserably  in  prison  ships,  oth 
ers  lingered  years  in  confinement ;  some  entered  the  service  of  the  coun 
try,  others  returned  home  destitute  to  destitute  families.  To  these  con 
siderations,  if  we  add  losses  by  plunderers,  the  almost  total  stoppage  of 
all  business  during  the  war,  the  insufficiency  of  soil  to  produce  food  for 
the  inhabitants,  the  almost  constant  blockading  of  the  harbor  by  the  Eng 
lish  or  the  Refugees,  it  will  not  be  doubted  that  Nantucket  paid  as  dearly 
for  the  independence  of  our  country  as  any  place  in  the  Union." 

The  Legislature  of  Massachusetts,  in  order  to  encourage  the  whale 
fishery  throughout  the  state,  which  had  been  greatly  depressed  by  the 
war,  passed,  in  1785,  a  resolve  to  the  following  effect : 

That  the  treasurer  of  the  Commonwealth  would  pay,  for  every  ton  of 
white  spermaceti  oil,  a  bounty  of  five  pounds  ;  for  every  ton  of  brown  or 
yellow  spermaceti  oil,  sixty  shillings  ;  for  every  ton  of  whale  oil  (so 
called),  forty  shillings,  taken  by  vessels  owned  and  wholly  manned  by 
inhabitants  of  the  Commonwealth. 

This  bounty  afforded  but  a  temporary  relief,  and  was  soon  withdrawn. 
It  had  the  effect,  however,  of  stimulating  those  engaged  in  the  fishery  to 
new  enterprises,  which,  though  not  always  profitable,  finally  resulted  in 
the  re-establishment  of  the  business. 

"  The  whaling  business  gradually  increased  from  year  to  year,  though 
it  occasionally  met  with  depressions-  which  checked  its  progress  and  cre 
ated  considerable  uneasiness.  In  1792,  the  people  of  New  Bedford  turned 
their  attention  to  it  more  particularly  than  heretofore.  A  number  of  ves 
sels  were  put  into  the  service  there,  and  some  from  Boston  and  Long 
Island.  The  quantity  of  oil  thus  imported  exceeded  the  consumption, 
and  kept  the  price  below  the  cost  to  importers. 


532  APPENDIX. 

"  A  few  years  previous  to  the  Revolution  in  France,  in  1792,  a  new  mar 
ket  opened  for  whale  oil  in  that  country,  which  gave  encouragement  that 
it  would  eventually  be  the  best  place  for  the  sale  of  the  article  that  could 
be  found." 

"  The  shipments  which  were  made  [after  the  Revolution  began]  did  not 
meet  with  prices  sufficient  to  pay  costs." 

"  In  1790,  finding  some  of  the  people  of  England  profitably  engaged  in 
the  sealing  business,  the  inhabitants  of  Nantucket  turned  their  attention 
to  that  business,  and  fitted  out  a  vessel  for  the  coast  of  Africa. 

"  In  1791,  vessels  first  went  from  Nantucket  into  the  Pacific  Ocean  in 
pursuit  of  whales.  Some  successful  cruises  had  been  made  on  the  west 
ern  coast  of  South  America  by  vessels  from  England,  which  encouraged 
the  people  of  Nantucket  to  engage  in  similar  voyages. 

"  In  1795,  the  name  of  the  town  was  changed  from  Sherburne  to  Nan 
tucket." 

It  would  be  impossible,  within  the  limited  space  of  this  Appendix,  to 
follow  the  changes  which  took  place  in  the  whale  fishery  up  to  the  period 
of  the  last  war. 

"  The  immediate  effects  of  the  war  were  experienced  in  the  7th  month 
of  this  year,  1812,  in  the  capture  and  burning  of  a  whaling  schooner  to 
the  northward  of  the  Gulf  Stream.  The  crew  were  made  prisoners  of 
war.  This  was  the  first  capture  of  a  Nantucket  vessel  after  the  com 
mencement  of  hostilities.  There  were  at  this  time  belonging  to  the  isl 
and  43  ships,  47  sloops,  7  brigs,  19  schooners  ;  total,  116  vessels,  whose 
tonnage  amounted  to  nearly  11,000  tons." 

Then  followed  all  the  devastations  of  the  war  in  quick  succession : 
the  capturing  of  whaling  vessels,  and  the  part  taken  by  the  hardy  and 
enterprising  whalemen  belonging  to  the  different  ports  in  the  United 
States,  in  the  defense  of  their  country,  with  which  the  public  are  famil 
iar.  The  Island  of  Nantucket,  which  had  suffered  most,  owing  to  her 
isolated  and  exposed  situation,  was,  however,  declared  neutral  by  the 
contending  powers,  the  inhabitants  having,  in  consequence  of  their  great 
distress,  stipulated  that  they  would  take  no  part  in  the  war.  Subsequent 
difficulties  arose,  in  consequence  of  the  embarrassing  position  in  which 
the  people  of  the  island  were  placed,  but  it  does  not  come  within  the  ob 
ject  of  this  compilation  to  enter  into  a  detail  of  them. 

"  In  the  year  1819  [the  devastating  effects  of  the  war  having  in  a  great 
measure  passed  away],  the  number  of  ships  and  vessels  belonging  to  the 
island  had  increased  to  57  ships  and  4  brigs  in  the  whale  fishery.  In 
1821  the  number  had  increased  to  78  ships  and  6  brigs  in  the  whale 
fishery." 

From  that  date  to  the  present  the  inhabitants  of  Nantucket  have  pur 
sued  the  business  with  the  greatest  zeal  and  perseverance.  Prosperity 
has  crowned  their  efforts,  and  many  of  them  have  become  wealthy. 

The  following  tables  and  extracts  from  various  documents  with  which 
I  have  been  kindly  favored  by  .the  Hon.  James  Grinnell,  will  show  the 


APPENDIX.  533 

value  and  extent  of  the  entire  whale  fishery  carried  on  in  vessels  belong 
ing  to  the  United  States  ;  thus  giving  a  general  view  of  its  origin,  prog 
ress,  and  present  condition. 

Estimated  Value  of  644  Vessels  employed  in  the  Whale  Fishery  belonging  to 
the  United  States  at  the  Time  of  sailing,  and  which  were  at  Sea  on  the  1st 
of  January,  1844. 

242  ships,  barques,  and  brigs  in  the  sperm  fishery,  at  $38,000  each     ....  $9,196,000 

329  "  "  "  right  whale  fishery,  at  $28,000  each  .  .  9,212,000 
73  "  "  and  schooners  in  the  Atlantic  sperm  fishery,  at 

$14,000  each 1,022,000 

$19,430,000 

Estimated  Value  of  the  644  Vessels  employed  in  the  Whale  Fishery,  belonging  to 
the  United  States,  including  Catchings  at  Sea,  on  the  1st  of  January,  1844. 

242  ships,  barques,  and  brigs  in  the  sperm  fishery,  at  $55,000  each  ....  $13,300,000 
329  "  "  "  "  right  whale  fishery,  at  $40,000  each  .  .  13,160,000 

73     "  "      and  schooners  in  the  Atlantic  sperm  fishery,  at 

$18,000  each 1,314,000 

$27,784,000 

N.B.  The  above  estimates,  I  am  informed  by  Mr.  Grinnell,  are  consid 
erably  below  the  actual  value  of  the  vessels,  fittings,  and  oil  taken  at  this 
date,  but  he  preferred  making  the  calculation  at  the  lowest  point  to  which 
their  value  might  descend. 

Duties  on  a  Whale  Ship  and  Outfits. 

The  articles  which  pay  duty,  used  by  a  whaler  (the  ship  Charles  Fen- 
duck,  burden  317  tons),  are  as  follows  : 

On  124  pieces  of  duck,  containing- 3809  square  yards,  duty  7  cts.  per  yard  .  .  .$26663 
On  cordage,  24,409  pounds  hemp,  say  10  tons,  at  $40  per  ton  ....  $400  00 

"  5754  pounds  of  Manilla,  say  3  tons,  at  $25  per  ton       ...   75  00 475  00 

On  iron  chains  of  all  kinds,  17,784  pounds,  duty  2£  cts.  per  pound 444  60 

On  iron,  about  17  tons,  including  hoops,  whale  craft,  that  used  about  yards,  rig 
ging,  &c.,  duty  $17  per  ton 289  00 

On  iron  anchors,  4200  pounds,  duty  2£  cts.  per  pound 444  60 

On  iron  try-pots  ;  three  180-gallon  pots  weigh  2200  pounds,  duty  1  £  ct.  per  pound  33  00 
On  copper  cooler,  made  of  brazier's  copper,  400  pounds,  duty  5  cts.  per  pound  .  .  20  00 
On  molasses,  1100  gallons,  4|  mills  per  pound,  is  about  4£  cts.  per  gallon  ...  49  50 

On  chronometer,  about 40  00 

A  great  part  of  the  tools,  steel,  and  crockery-ware  pay  a  duty,  but  it  is  not  easy 

to  get  at  the  correct  amount ;  estimated  at 30  00 

$1752  73 


534 


APPENDIX. 


Statement  of  the  Number  of  Vessels  employed  in  the  United  States  Whale 
Fishery  on  the  1st  of  January,  1846,  their  Tonnage,  and  the  Places  where 
they  belong. — [from  the  Whaleman's  Shipping  List.] 


Ports. 

State. 

Ships  and 
Barques. 

Brigs. 

Schooners. 

Tons. 

New  Bedford  . 

Massachusetts 

252 

3 

1 

82,633 

Fairhaven  .     . 

" 

48 

— 



15,391 

Dartmouth 

« 

1 



_„ 

387 

Westport    .     . 

" 

8 

3 



2,066 

Mattapoisett  . 

K 

5 

5 

— 

1,864 

Sippican     .     . 
Wareham  .     . 

« 

3 

4 

2 
2 

— 

910 
1,366 

Falmouth 

<i 

4 





1,470 

Holmes's  Hole 

" 

3 

1 



1,287 

Edgartown 

« 

8 

2 



3,017 

Nantucket      . 

" 

73 

1 

— 

25,564 

Province  town 

K 

3 

9 

11 

3,001 

Lynn 

<f 

3 

— 



980 

Plymouth  .     . 

« 

3 



1 

999 

Boston   .     .     . 

«• 

1 

1 

1 

375 

Portsmouth     . 

" 

1 

— 

— 

348 

Salem    .     .     . 

« 

2 





660 

Fall  River       . 

«« 

5 

2 



1,908 

Freetown  . 

" 

2 

— 



634 

Somerset    .     . 

•« 

1 





137 

Bristol  .     .     . 

Rhode  Island 

5 

1 

1,743 

Providence 

9 



3,341 

Warren      .     . 

« 

25 





8,218 

Newport     .     . 
Mystic  .     .     . 

« 
Connecticut 

10 

18 

1 

1 

3,099 
5,521 

Stonington 

26 





8,076 

New  London  . 

" 

69 

1 

6  schrs.  1  sloop 

26,513 

Sag  Harbor     . 

New  York 

63 

— 

— 

23,103 

Bridgeport 

Connecticut 

3 

— 

— 

972 

New  Suffolk  . 

New  York 

2 

— 



501 

Greenport  .     . 
Cold  Spring    . 

<( 

11 

8 

— 

— 

3,255 
3,315 

New  York      . 

" 

1 

— 

— 

495 

Total. — Whole  number  of  vessels  employed  in  the  fishery,  Jan.  1,  1846,  680  ships  and 

barques,  34  brigs,  21  schooners,  1  sloop  ;  tonnage,  233,149. 
Whole  number  employed  in  the  fishery,  Jan.  1,  1845,  643  ships  and  barques,  35  brigs,  16 

schooners,  1  sloop  ;  tonnage,  218,655. 
Whole  number  employed  in  the  fishery,  Jan.  1,  1844,  595  ships  and  barques,  41  brigs,  8 

schooners,  and  1  sloop  ;  tonnage,  200,147. 


The  annexed  tables,  taken  from  the  Whaleman's  Shipping  List,  pub 
lished  in  New  Bedford,  show  the  imports  and  exports  of  oil  and  bone, 
average  prices  from  1838  to  1846,  amount  of  oil  on  hand,  average  length 
of  voyages,  arrivals,  &c.  I  think  it  will  be  conceded  that  they  are  of  suf 
ficient  importance  to  be  preserved  in  a  durable  form. 


APPENDIX. 


535 


Imports  of  Sperm  and  Whale  Oils  and  Whalebone  into  the  United  States,  for 
1845,  made  up,  in  most  cases,  from  the  Ganger's  Report  of  the  different 
cargoes. 


Ports. 

Ships 
and 
Barques. 

Brigs, 
Schooners, 
&c. 

Barrels 
Sperm. 

Barrels 
Whale. 

Pounds 
Whalebone. 

New  Bedford  
"       in  Merchantmen 
Fairhaven  
Mattapoisett  .... 

64 
2 
15 
1 

'2 
0 
0 
2 

49,125 
2,897 
15,381 
831 

81,898 
1,826 
16,659 
240 

745,434 
260,573 
148,100 

2 

1 

1  216 

540 

3  000 

j 

2 

943 

1  991 

16  800 

Dartmouth     

1 

0 

1  400 

200 

Westport   

3 

4 

2,780 

488 



District  of  New  Bedford  . 
Falmouth        ... 

89 
2 

11 
1 

74,573 
2,000 

103,842 
140 

1,173,907 
22,000 

Holmes's  Hole     .... 

1 
3 

0 
1 

201 
1  719 

2,239 
1  816 

23,300 
14,000 

Provincetown      .... 
Nantucket      

1 

29 

13 
2 

2,545 

45,864 

730 
6,280 

46,100 

1 

2 

1  390 

1 

Q 

150 

1  650 

15000 

Boston  

1 

1 

270 

30 

"    in  Merchantmen    . 
Salem    

3 
2 
1 

6 
0 

Q 

5,013 
3,300 
2  GOO 

3,000 
800 

487,100 
6,000 

Fall  River  

2 

2 

1,646 

3,050 

44,600 

Bristol 

1 

o 

1  000 

Warren 

5 

Q 

2  511 

7  284 

7  300 

2 

Q 

750 

3  450 

30  000 

2 

2 

2580 

2,865 

22,800 

9 

o 

I  941 

15  362 

115,625 

21 

Q 

1  411 

52  576 

469  700 

4 

o 

712 

7,271 

51,400 

Cold  Spring         .          .     . 

2 

o 

200 

4,818 

87,490 

6 

o 

578 

7  824 

62,877 

22 

Q 

2  624 

43  784 

475  186 

1 

o 

130 

1,650 

15,000 

"     in  Merchantmen  . 
Hudson      

1 
1 

1 

o 

584 
800 

900 
800 

9,000 
8,000 

o 

300 

250 

2  000 

New  Suffolk  

j 

0 

108 

398 

6,669 

Total    .... 

215 

42 

157,700 

272,809 

3,195,054 

Imports  of  Sperm  and  Whale  Oil  from  January  1,  1838,  to  January  1,  1844, 
and  of  Oil  and  Bone  from  January  1,  1844,  to  January  1,  1846. 


1838 
1839 
1840 
1841 
1842 
1843 
1844 
1845 


Sperm. 
132,356 
142,336 
157,791 
159,304 
165,637 
166,985 
139,594 
157,917 


Whale. 
226,552 
229,783 
207,908 
207,348 
161,041 
206,727 
262,047 
272,730 


2,532,445 
3,167,142 

We  estimate  the  quantity  of  sperm  oil  to  arrive  in  1846  at  117,000  barrels.  Of  whale, 
it  is  impossible,  as  yet,  to  form  an  estimate  with  any  degree  of  accuracy,  owing  to  the  mea 
ger  accounts  yet  received  from  the  Northwest  Coast. 


536  APPENDIX. 

Exports. — Quantity  and  Value  of  Whale  Oil  and  Spermaceti  exported  from 
the  Port  of  New  Bedford,  Year  ending  Jan.  1,  1846;  furnished  by  Mr. 
James  Freeman,  Deputy  Collector. 

Gals.  Whale.  Value.  Ibe.  Spermaceti.     Value. 

To  Stettin 293,113  $95,412 

Hamburgh 114,464  35,967 

Rotterdam 195,997  67,465             • 

Antwerp 162,163  52,644  5306        $1485 

Cuxhaven  and  market   .     .    51,798  16,832 

Total  ....  817,533          $268,320  5306        $1485 

Exports  of  Whale  Oil  from  New  Bedford  to  Foreign  Ports  for  the  years 

1841.  1842.  1843.  1844.  1845. 

Barrels    .     .    32,273  26,005  17,201  30,093  25,925 

Statement  of  Oils  and  Whalebone  on  hand,  December  30,  1845. 

Sperm.  Whale.  Bone. 

New  Bedford 8,101  2620  201,000 

Fairhaven 6,300  10,000 

Westport 3,200 

Nantucket,  about      ....  20,000 

Edgartown 1,000 

Falmouth 500 

Newport 500 

Boston 1,100 

Total 40,701  5221  211,000 

The  above  statement  includes  all  recent  importations,  and  all  crude  oils  in  manufactu 
rer's  hands,  in  the  ports  named. 

Amount  of  Oil  on  hand,  January  1,  1845. 
Sperm,  32,992  barrels  ;  Whale,  12,950  barrels. 

Average  Voyages. — Table  of  Voyages  made  by  Sperm  and  Right  Whalers 
in  the  Years  1842  to  1845  inclusive,  with  average  Time  absent,  and  Quan 
tity  of  Oils  brought  Home. 

Sperm.  Whale. 
In  1842,  55  sperm  whalers  arrived,  average  absence,  41  months  8  days, 

with  average  cargoes  of 1973  135 

In  1842,  74  two-season  right  whalers  arrived,  average  time  absent,  24£ 

months,  with  average  cargoes  of 422  1722 

In  1842,  13  one-season  right  whalers  arrived,  average  time  absent,  10£ 

months,  average  cargoes  of 122  1602 

In  1842,  65  Atlantic  sperm  whalers  arrived,  average  time  absent,  13  months 

28  days,  average  cargoes  of .      280  12 

Arrivals  in  1843. 

70  sperm  whalers,  average  absence,  41  months,  13  days,  average  cargoes  .  1641  124 

90  two-season  right  whalers,  average  absence,  25  months  10  days,  average 

cargoes 311  1937 

15  one-season  right  whalers,  average  absence,  11  months  28  days,  average 

cargoes 92  1398 

55  Atlantic  sperm  whalers,  average  absence,  14  months  20  days,  average 

cargoes 285  85 


APPENDIX. 


537 


Arrivals  in  1844. 

Sperm.  Whale. 

69  sperm  whalers,  average  absence,  43  months,  average  cargoes      ....  1419  293 

112  2-season  right  whalers,  average  absence,  25  months  9  days,  average  cargoes  248  2059 
Tone-season  ri-ght  whalers,  average  absence,  11  months  14  days,  average 

cargoes  .......................  69  1176 

42  Atlantic  sperm  whalers,  average  absence,  12  months,  average  cargoes  .     .  248  38 


Arrivals  in  1845. 
91  sperm  whalers,  average  absence,  43  months  21  days,  average  cargoes 


1291 


102  two-season  right  whalers,  average  absence,  24  months,  average  cargoes  .  196 
8  one-season  right  whalers,  average  absence,  12  months  4  days,  average 

cargoes  .......................        55 

43  Atlantic  sperm  whalers,  average  absence,  14  months  7  days,  average 

cargoes  .......................      238 


3S7 
2180 


796 


Statement  of  the  Prices  of  Sperm  and  Whale  Oil  and  Whalebone  on  the  1st 
and  15th  of  each  Month  of  the  Year  1845,  together  with  the  average  Price 
for  the  Year,  and  the  average  Price  per  Year  for  six  Years. 


Sperm. 
1st   15th 

88   87 

85 


1845. 
January 

February  ......  85 

March  .......  8:  84 

April    ........  88  90 

May      .......  90  90 

June     .......  90  90 

July      .......  90  90 

August      ......  90  90 

September     .....  90  89 

October     ......  88  89 

November  ......  87  85 

December  ......  84  87 


Whale. 

1st 

15th 

32 

33 

32 

33 

32 

32 

32 

34 

31J 

32J 

32i 

33$ 

3-5 

344 

33J 

34£ 

34 

35 

33 

34 

33 

32 

31 

31 

Bone. 

1st  15th 
39  39 
no  sales. 

29  30 
34          36 
34£        34fc 
34J        S4£ 
no  sales. 
no  sales. 
34          35 
34          35 
32          30 

30  30 


Average  for  1845 

Average  for  1844 

«         «   1843 

"         "    1842 

"   1841 

«   1840 


88        88 
.    90  J 
.    63 
.    73 
.    94 
.  100 


331 


33| 


33$ 
31$ 

30£ 


40 

35£ 

23 

19| 

19 


Arrivals  at  the  Port  of  New  Bedford  in  1845. 

We  are  indebted  to  the  politeness  of  Mr.  David  Sylvester,  boarding  officer,  United  States' 
revenue  department,  New  Bedford,  for  the  following  statement  of  arrivals  m  this  port  in  1845 

From  Forr.ign  Ports. 

Ships  .....     64 

31 


Schooners. 
4 
9 
1 


g 

if 

7 

Total 

111 

Of  which  there  were 

Ships. 

Barques. 

Brigs. 

American    64 

29 

3 

British               ....     — 

1 



Danish    — 

Prussian      — 

1 

6 

64 

81 

~9 

YYY 


538  APPENDIX. 

Coastwise  Arrivals  in  1845. 

Ships.  Barques.  Brigs.  Schooners.            Sloops.  Total. 

January     ....  0  0                   2  45  59  106 

February  ....  0  0                  4  29                   52  85 

March 2  0                  4  69  98  173 

April 0  0        4  88  131  223 

May 0  1        6  116  168  291 

June 4  0        1  110  167  282 

July 1  0        6  108  169  284 

August   ....  2  0        7  114  178  301 

September  ...  0  0  12  127  185  324 

October  ....  1  1        3  104  126  235 

November   ...  0  1        5  68        96  170 

...  0  1        4  35        74  114 


Total 2558 

To  which  add  foreign  arrivals Ill 

Making  a  total  for  the  year  of 2699 

Statement  of  some  of  the  principal  Articles  used  in  fitting  one  of  two  hundred 
and  forty-two  Ships  employed  in  the  Sperm  Whale  Fishery  from  the  United 
States,  Jan.  1,  1844 ;  average  Length  of  Voyage,  including  Time  in  Port, 
forty-four  Months ;  two  Months  allowed  to  each  in  Port. 

Articles,  &c.  Amount.             Total 
2800  barrels  oil  casks,  at  $1  25,  $3500  ;  to  make  which  are  required 

16J  M.  staves,  at  $62 $1023  00 

9881  feet  Southern  pine  heading,  at  $25 247  00 

12£  tons  iron  hoops,  at  $85 1062  50 

Labor  of  coopers,  &c 116750 $3,50000 

240  barrels  beef  and  pork,  at  $8  50 2,040  00 

220  barrels  flour,  at  $5  25 1,15500 

75  bushels  corn,  at  55  cents 41  25 

14  bushels  beans  and  pease,  at  $1  25 1750 

5  barrels  corn  meal,  at  $3  50 17  50 76  25 

2500  pounds  tobacco,  at  11  cents 

1200  pounds  rice,  at  3£  cents 42  00 

150  bushels  potatoes,  at  35  cents 52  50 

800  pounds  cheese,  at  7  cents 56  00 

900  pounds  butter,  at  13  cents 117  00 

600  pounds  dried  apples,  at  4  cents 24  00 

10  barrels  vinegar,  at  $3  50 35  00 326  50 

20  barrels  tar,  at  $2  25 45  00 

6  whale  boats,  at  $60 360  00 

7  sets  oars,  at  $8  50 59  50 

4000  feet  boards,  at  $20 80  00 

700  pounds  composition  nails,  at  22  cents 285  00 

8500  pounds  sheathing  copper,  at  21  cents 1785  00 

8500  pounds  cordage,  at  10  cents 850  00 

3000  pounds  tow  lines,  at  12  cents 360  00 3,824  50 

3  try-pots  (American),  at  $60 180  00 

800  pounds  codfish,  at  3  cents 24  00 

6000  yards  domestics  for  recruits,  at  9  cents  (including  calicoes)  .     .  540  00 

4000  pounds  iron  crafts,  &c.,  at  15  cents  (average) 600  00 

Ready-made  clothing 2800  00 4,144  00 

$15,341  25 
Mechanics  and  labor  while  in  port 2,500  00 

Carried  forward $17,841  25 


APPENDIX.  539 

Foreign. 

Articles,  &c.  Amount             Total. 

Brought  up $17,841  25 

1600  gallons  molasses,  at  27  cents 432  00 

250  pounds  black  tea,  at  35  cents 87  50 

20  pounds  hyson  tea,  at  60  cents 12  00 

60  pieces  heavy  duck,  at  $18 1080  00 

36  pieces  light  duck,  at  $8 288  00 

200  pounds  raisins,  at  5  cents 10  00 

1000  pounds  sugar,  at  7£  cents 75  00 

1000  pounds  coffee,  at  8  cents 80  00 2,064  50 


$19,905  75 


The  Hon.  Mr.  Grinnell,  of  New  Bedford,  Mass.,  made,  during  the  last 
session  of  Congress  (1844),  the  following  statements  in  the  House  of 
Representatives  : 

"I  have  prepared  with  great  care  a  table  from  authentic  sources,  to 
show  the  consumption  of  domestic  and  foreign  articles  by  our  whaling 
fleet,  now  consisting  of  650  ships,  barques,  brigs,  and  schooners,  tonna- 
ging  200,000  tons  ;  cost  at  the  time  of  sailing,  $20,000,000-;  manned  by 
17,500  officers  and  seamen,  cne  half  of  whom  are  green  hands  when  the 
vessels  sail.  By  this  table,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  annual  consumption 
by  this  fleet  is  $3,845,500  ;  only  $400,000  is  of  foreign  articles.  This 
great  source  of  wealth  to  the  nation  is  dependent  mainly  on  a  home  mar 
ket  for  its  products.  The  value  of  the  annual  import  of  oil  and  whale 
bone  in  a  crude  state  is  $7,000,000  ;  when  manufactured  it  probably  is  in 
creased  in  value  to  $8,000,000  or  $9,000,000.  The  whole  amount  of  ex 
ports  of  oil,  whalebone,  and  sperm  candles  is  only  $2,000,000 ;  leaving 
86,000,000  or  $7,000,000  to  be  consumed  in  this  country.  *  *  *  The  du 
ties  on  each  whale  ship  and  outfits  of  300  tons,  amount  to  $1700. 

"  *  *  *  This  fleet  of  whaling  ships  is  larger  than  ever  pursued  the  busi 
ness  before.  Commercial  history  furnishes  no  account  of  any  parallel ;  our 
ships  now  outnumber  those  of  all  other  nations  combined,  and  the  proceeds 
of  its  enterprise  are  in  proportion,  and  diffused  to  every  part  of  our  country. 
The  voyages  of  those  engaged  in  the  sperm  fishery  average  three  and  a 
half  years  ;  they  search  every  sea,  and  often  cruise  three  or  four  months 
with  a  man  at  each  mast-head  on  the  look-out,  without  the  cheering  sight 
of  a  whale.  This  fleet  is  manned  by  17,500  Americans.  They  are  hardy, 
honest,  and  patriotic,  and  will,  as  they  did  in  the  last  war,  stand  by  their 
country  when  in  danger  ;  they  will  man  our  ships,  and  fight  our  battles  on 
the  ocean.  Should  we  ever  again  be  compelled  to  resort  to  war  to  main 
tain  our  rights,  they,  with  the  other  seamen  of  our  country,  will  be  the 
right  arm  of  our  defense." 

Mr.  Rockwell,  of  Connecticut,  in  a  speech  on  the  Oregon  question,  de 
livered  in  the  House  of  Representatives  of  the  United  States,  on  the  16th 
of  January,  1846,  took  occasion  to  pay  the  following  handsome  tribute  to 
the  hardy  seamen  engaged  in  our  whale  fishery : 

"And  the  very  men  who  petitioned  and  protested  against  war  and 


540  APPENDIX. 

war  measures,  will  be  found,  if  war  come,  quite  as  faithful  to  their  coun 
try  as  gentlemen  who  talk  the  loudest  a-nd  declaim  with  most  vehemence 
on  this  floor.  Indeed,  sir,  I  say,  without  fear  of  contradiction,  that  a 
more  hardy,  resolute,  determined  set  of  men,  or  who,  in  the  hour  of  dan 
ger,  are  more  to  be  relied  on,  are  not  to  be  found  in  this  or  any  other 
country  than  those  embarked  in  the  whale  fishery  in  my  district.  Intel 
ligent,  with  industrious,  frugal,  and  temperate  habits,  their  whole  life  has 
been  a  course  of  discipline.  The  interest  which  every  sailor,  in  common 
with  the  master,  has  in  the  result  of  the  voyage,  without  interfering  with 
the  discipline  of  the  ship,  gives  independence  and  energy  to  the  charac 
ter  ;  and  the  constant  personal  dangers  to  which  they  are  exposed  ren 
der  habitual  that  calm  and  resolute  courage  only  to  be  relied  upon  in  the 
hour  of  danger.  But,  sir,  they  have  no  courage  to  boast  of,  and  they  will 
not  thank  me  for  saying  what  I  have,  and  for  adding  that  they  are  almost 
as  much  to  be  relied  upon,  for  real  service,  for  actual  danger,  as  the  most 
patriotic  speaker  and  'greatest  thunderer'  in  the  country." 

The  following  statement,  from  the  speech  of  Mr.  Clayton,  of  Delaware, 
on  the  Oregon  question,  delivered  in  the  United  States  Senate,  February 
12th,  1846,  shows  the  total  tonnage  of  our  commercial  marine,  including 
vessels  embarked  in  the  whale  fishery,  compared  with  that  of  England : 

"We  have  at  this  time  a  commerce  of  2,417,000  tons  of  shipping. 
England  has  2,420,000  tons  ;  so  that  we  are  nearly — nay,  it  is  my  opin 
ion  we  are  completely — on  a  par  with  her.  I  doubt,  sir,  whether  Eng 
land  has  a  greater  commercial  marine,  or  greater  interests  to  protect 
than  we  ;  if  so,  I  would  like  to  know  in  what  it  consists.  We  have  more 
than  700  whale  ships  in  the  Pacific  Ocean  ;  we  have  an  extensive  Indian 
commerce,  and  a  great  and  daily  growing  commerce  with  China." 


BOUNTIES. 

Mr.  Davis,  of  Massachusetts,  presented  to  the  Senate  of  the  United 
States,  on  the  24th  of  March,  1846,  the  memorial  of  three  hundred  and 
twelve  ship-owners  and  fishermen  of  the  town  of  Marblehead,  all  engaged 
in  the  cod  fishery,  with  some  remarks  in  favor  of  the  prayer  of  the  me 
morialists,  an  extract  from  which  I  take  from  the  published  report  of  his 
speech. 

"  They  state  that  a  bill  is  pending  before  the  Senate  providing  for  the 
repeal  of  the  act  granting  bounties  to  vessels  engaged  in  the  cod  fishery, 
and  a  drawback  upon  pickled  fish.  They  allege,  also,  that  they  are  threat 
ened  with  the  repeal  of  the  duty  upon  imported  dry  fish ;  and  in  order 
that  the  Senate  may  understand  their  condition  and  comprehend  their 
connection  with  this  employment,  they  recur  to  their  past  history,  and 
allege  that  this  cod  fishery  has  been  their  chief  occupation  ever  since 
the  settlement  of  the  town,  and  for  a  period  of  more  than  two  hundred 
years.  That,  while  connected  with  the  mother  country,  legislative  pro 
tection  was  given,  which  so  encouraged  the  business  that  they  realized 


APPENDIX.  541 

greater  prosperity,  acquired  more  wealth,  and  had  a  greater  population 
before  the  Revolutionary  war  than  they  witnessed  at  any  period  since. 
They  affirm  that  their  population  and  wealth  is  less  now  than  it  was  then." 

Mr.  Benton,  in  the  course  of  a  reply,  made  the  following  remarks  respect 
ing  the  success  of  the  whale  fishery  without  the  aid  of  the  government : 

"  This  was  one  point  of  view  ;  but  there  was  another,  and  it  was  the 
small  proportion  which  the  tonnage  employed  in  these  fisheries  bore  to 
the  tonnage  employed  in  other  branches  of  trade.  They  had  but  half  the 
amount  which  the  whalers  possessed  :  those  who  double  Cape  Horn  and 
go  to  a  distance  of  20,000  miles  from  any  port  that  they  can  call  their 
own,  who  make  three  years'  voyages,  and  are  all  that  time  employed  in 
killing  the  monsters  of  the  deep.  While  he  would  admit  a  degree  of 
merit  in  those  engaged  in  the  river  and  coast  fisheries,  in  the  mackerel 
and  the  cod  fisheries,  yet  they  were  far  below  the  whalers  in  point  of 
numbers. 

"  Mr.  Benton  stated  the  increase  in  the  amount  of  tonnage  employed 
in  the  various  branches  of  commerce  and  the  fisheries  for  a  period  of 
twelve  years,  commencing  with  1833,  showing  a  very  disproportionate 
increase  in  all  other  branches  over  that  of  the  cod  and  mackerel  fisheries." 

Mr.  Fairfield  concluded  the  rliscussion  as  follows :  • 

"  But  it  is  objected  to  these  bounties,  by  the  senator  from  Missouri, 
that  they  go  to  the  owners  of  the  fishing  vessels,  and  not  to  the  fisher 
men  themselves.  In  reply,  he  would  say  that  in  his  view  it  was  of  no 
consequence  to  whom  the  bounty  was,  in  the  first  instance,  paid.  It  went 
eventually  for  the  common  benefit  of  all  concerned  in  the  voyage.  The 
fishermen,  it  is  well  known,  do  not  receive  specific  wages,  as  in  mercan 
tile  voyages  ;  but,  instead  thereof,  have  a  certain  share  of  the  fish.  This 
share  is  enlarged  by  the  fact  that  the  owner  receives  a  portion  of  his  prof 
its  of  the  voyage  in  the  bounty  received  from  the  government.  If  the 
bounty  was  received,  in  the  first  place,  by  the  fishermen,  they  would  re 
ceive  a  smaller  share  of  the  fish.  Again  :  the  senator  from  Missouri  al 
ludes  to  the  whaling  business,  and  says  that,  though  this  business  fur 
nishes  many  and  excellent  seamen,  those  engaged  in  it  neither  ask  nor 
receive  any  bounty.  For  this  there  was  a  very  good  reason,  to  wit,  that 
none  was  needed.  The  business  was  highly  lucrative,  and  on  turning 
to  New  Bedford,  Nantucket,  and  other  ports  at  the  north,  we  may  see 
that  large  fortunes  have  been  accumulated  in  it.  If  it  were  otherwise — if 
it  was  necessary  to  bestow  a  bounty  on  those  engaged  in  this  business  in 
order  that  it  should  be  continued,  he,  for  one,  knowing  how  many  good 
sailors  it  furnishes,  and  how  dependent  the  country  would  be  upon  it  in 
case  of  war,  would  cheerfully  vote  for  such  a  bounty.  But  no  such  boun 
ty  is  needed  ;  and,  indeed,  the  senator  from  Missouri  has  drawn  a  com 
parison  between  this  and  the  cod  fisheries,  showing  that  the  latter  is  in  a 
declining  condition.  If  this  be  so — and  he  was  not  disposed  to  deny  it — 
it  certainly  furnished  no  reason  why  the  scanty  aid  now  furnished  by  the 
government  should  be  withdrawn.  On  the  contrary,  it  would  seem  to  be 
a  strong  reason  why  the  aid  should  be  continued.  The  necessity  for  this 


542  APPENDIX. 

aid  is  found  in  the  fact  alluded  to  by  the  senator  from  Massachusetts 
(Mr.  Davis),  that  the  English  and  French  governments  afford  liberal  aid 
and  encouragement  to  their  fisheries,  enabling  them  thereby  to  go  into 
the  markets  of  the  world  with  a  clear  advantage  over  American  fisher 
men.  But  he  did  not  intend  to  enlarge  upon  this  subject.  At  another 
time,  when  the  bill  should  come  up  for  a  repeal  of  the  law,  he  perhaps 
might  avail  himself  of  the  occasion  to  express  his  views  more  fully. 
"  The  petition  was  ordered  to  be  printed,  and  laid  on  the  table." 


EFFECTS  OF  THE  TARIFF  OF  1842  UPON  THE  WHALE 
FISHERY. 

Although  I  do  not  consider  it  within  my  province  to  offer  any  opinion 
of  my  own  in  reference  to  the  effects  of  the  present  tariff  laws  upon  the 
whaling  interests,  the  reader  will  not,  I  think,  find  fault  with  me  for  giving 
him  a  few  of  the  arguments  which  have  been  advanced  in  favor  of  and 
against  the  protective  system.  It  is  my  desire  to  embrace  within  a  small 
space  all  the  useful  and  interesting  matter  touching  this  important  branch 
of  commerce  that  can  with  propriety  be  introduced.  None  will  deny  that 
the  tariff  question  is  one  which  deeply  concerns  its  welfare.  I  therefore 
select  from  what  has  been  said  on  both  sides  such  arguments  as  carry 
with  them  the  greatest  weight,  as  well  from  their  practical  character  as  the 
respectability  of  their  source. 

In  his  speech  of  May,  1844,  Mr.  Grinnell  says  : 

"  Although  this  interest  is  not  directly  protected  by  the  tariff  of  1842, 
as  sperm  oil,  whale  oil,  and  whalebone  are  cheaper  in  this  country  than 
any  other,  yet  those  interested  in  it  are  decidedly  in  favor  of  the  protect 
ive  policy.  They  have  found  by  experience  that  when  the  manufacturers 
and  mechanics  of  this  country  are  actively  employed,  they  could  sell  the 
products  of  the  fishery  at  fair  prices  ;  but  when  the  duties  have  been  low, 
and  almost  without  discrimination  in  favor  of  such  articles  as  are  made 
in  this  country,  that  it  has  been  difficult  to  make  sales,  even  at  low  prices. 
They  are  in  favor  of  this  policy  ;  notwithstanding  that  the  duties  on  each 
whale  ship  and  outfits  of  317  tons  amount  to  $1700,  they  find  themselves 
fully  compensated  by  the  home  market." 

As  an  offset  to  this  argument  in  favor  of  the  protective  system,  I  quote 
from  a  very  able  editorial  article  in  a  late  number  of  the  New  York  Even 
ing- Post,  the  following  remarks  on  the  other  side  of  the  question.  The 
reader  must  draw  his  own  conclusion.  I  wish  it  to  be  borne  in  mind  that 
I  express  no  opinion  on  the  subject. 

"  The  whale  fishery  affords  a  most  convincing  illustration  of  the  ab 
surdity  of  the  view  which  the  friends  of  a  protective  tariff  take  of  im 
portations. 

"Those  whose  occupations  have  not  led  them  to  reflect  on  the  sub 
ject,  or  whose  place  of  residence  has  not  forced  the  fact  upon  their  no 
tice,  are  generally  not  aware  what  an  immense  branch  of  the  industry  of 


APPENDIX.  543 

this  country  consists  in  the  extraction  of  riches  from  the  ocean.  We 
call  the  sea  the  highway  of  nations,  but  it  is  more  than  this  ;  it  is  the 
pati  imony  and  treasury  of  nations ;  and  the  sea- faring  men  bred  on  our 
soundb,  and  capes,  and  islands  are  among  the  most  adventurous,  diligent, 
and  successful  cultivators  of  this  vast  inheritance,  which  has  not  yet 
been  subjected  to  the  laws  of  property,  and  remains  common  and  open 
to  all  mankind. 

"  A  fleet  of  more  than  three  hundred  sail  take  their  departure  to  pursue 
the  whale  fishery  on  the  Northwest  Coast  from  the  two  ports  of  New 
Bedford  and  Fairhaven,  situated  on  the  same  little  inlet.  Nantucket  and 
New  London  send  out  more  than  seventy  each,  and  the  ports  of  the  east 
end  of  Long  Island,  on  the  Sound,  are  the  places  of  rendezvous  for  large 
numbers  of  vessels  engaged  in  the  whale  fishery  ;  sixty  go  out  from  Sag 
Harbor.  The  whole  number  of  whaling  vessels  belonging  to  the  United 
States  is  seven  hundred  and  thirty. 

"  The  outfit,  as  it  is  called,  for  these  vessels,  that  is  to  say,  the  stores 
and  apparatus  which  are  taken  on  board  for  the  purposes  of  the  voyage, 
is  estimated  by  experienced  persons  to  amount  to  about  fifteen  thousand 
dollars  for  each  vessel.  This  would  give,  in  round  numbers,  a  total  of 
about  ten  millions  of  dollars  fcr  the  outfit  of  the  whole  number  of  vessels. 
But  as  each  vessel  is  absent  about  two  years  and  a  half,  on  an  average, 
the  annual  outfit  of  our  whaling  vessels,  taking  the  estimate  we  have  al 
ready  given  as  a  basis,  may  be  set  down  at  four  millions  of  dollars. 

"Now  what  is  the  reward  of  all  this  enterprise  1  What  do  the  com 
manders  of  our  whaling  vessels  bring  back  to  the  country  from  these  long 
and  toilsome  voyages,  for  which  such  expensive  preparations  are  made  1 
The  record  of  the  contributions  they  make  to  the  wealth  of  the  country 
is  found  in  the  annual  statements  of  our  imports. 

"  The  value  of  the  whalebone  annually  brought  to  this  country  by  our 
vessels  engaged  in  the  whale  fishery  is  about  one  million  of  dollars. 
The  average  of  the  importations  of  whale  and  sperm  oil  maybe  comput 
ed  at  seven  millions  ;  the  sperm  oil  making  about  two  thirds  of  this  value. 
Thus  we  have  eight  millions  added  yearly  to  the  riches  of  the  country, 
for  the  four  millions  annually  outdrawn. 

"  But,  again,  the  four  millions  which  go  to  make  up  the  yearly  outfit  of 
our  whaling  vessels  are  not  shipped  as  exports.  No  record  of  them  ap 
pears  in  the  returns  of  our  commerce  and  navigation.  They  are  cleared 
as  stores  or  supplies  and  whaling  apparatus.  We  have,  therefore,  an  ad 
dition  of  eight  millions  to  our  importations,  against  which  we  can  not  set 
off  a  dollar  of  exports." 


I  am  indebted  to  a  gentleman  who  recently  returned  to  the  United 
States  from  the  East  Indies,  in  the  Brandywine,  for  a  file  of  Honolulu 
papers,  dated  September,  1844,  from  which  I  glean  the  following  infor 
mation  in  relation  to  the  whale  fishery  in  the  Pacific  Ocean.  Honolulu 
is  the  great  rendezvous  for  whalers  cruising  to  the  westward  and  north- 


544  APPENDIX. 

ward  of  Cape  Horn,  and  any  thing  concerning  the  condition  of  our  fish 
ery,  from  a  publication  issued  at  that  port,  can  not  fail  to  be  of  particular 
interest.  It  is  but  seldom  a  Honolulu  paper  is  found  in  the  interior  of 
the  United  States.  The  "  Friend,"  a  publication  devoted  to  the  cause  of 
temperance  and  education,  is  quite  a  curiosity  in  this  country ;  and  a  few 
extracts  from  it  will  show  that  the  schoolmaster  is  "  at  home"  in  the 
Sandwich  Islands.  I  find  them  in  an  interesting  series  of  contributions 
written  by  Robert  Crichton  Wyllie,  Esq.,  of  Hazelbank,  Scotland,  who 
has  been  termed  the  "M'Culloch  of  the  Sandwich  Islands." 

"  So  far,"  says  this  writer,  "  as  the  number  of  whale  ships  touching 
at  the  Sandwich  Islands  affords  an  idea  of  the  whale  fishery  of  the  Pa 
cific,  by  far  the  greatest  portion  of  it  belongs  to  the  United  States,  whose 
inhabitants  first  commenced  it.  This  superiority  is  the  more  creditable 
to  the  Americans,  that  they  have  maintained  it  from  first  to  last  without 
any  legislative  protection. 

"  The  average  value  of  the  hulk  of  each  American  whaler  maybe  con 
sidered  $22,000,  and  of  the  outfit  $18,000. 

"  The  adventure  is  divided  into  lays,  or  shares,  of  which  the  captain's  lay 
is  generally  one  seventeenth  of  the  whole  ;  the  first  officer's,  one  twen 
tieth  ;  the  second  officer's,  one  forty-fifth  ;  the  third  officer's,  one  sixtieth  ; 
the  boat-steerer's,  from  one  eightieth  to  120th  ;  and  the  common  sailor's, 
from  120th  to  150th. 

"  Great  Britain,  during  eleven  years,  from  1813  to  1824  inclusive,  al 
lowed  the  large  sum  of  £82,700  in  bounties  to  490  ships,  without  fully 
establishing  the  fishery.  This  result  is  evident  from  the  fact  that  in  1791 
Great  Britain  had  afloat  75  South  Sea  men  ;  that  the  average  yearly  num 
ber  for  the  above  eleven  years  was  only  44,  and  that  during  the  last  year 
of  the  eleven,  namely,  1824,  it  was  reduced  to  31. 

"  No  bounty  has  been  allowed  since  1824,  yet  the  number  of  British 
South  Sea  whalers  is  still  about  30. 

"  The  French  whalers  in  the  Pacific  are  estimated  at  about  70,  most 
of  which  belong  to  Havre.  The  government,  from  the  1st  of  March,  1842, 
to  the  31st  of  December,  1850,  allows  the  following  bounties,  viz. : 

"  On  departure,  40  francs  per  ton  on  ships,  crews  wholly  French. 

"  On  departure,  29  francs  per  ton  on  ships,  crews  partly  French. 

"  On  return,  27  francs  per  ton  on  ships,  crews  wholly  French. 

"  On  return,  14J  francs  per  ton  on  ships,  crews  partly  French. 

"  The  following  farther  allowances  are  made  on  French  whalers  in  the 
Pacific  which  have  been  out  30  months  and  upward,  and  have  taken 
their  fish  beyond  the  28th  degree  of  North  latitude  : 

"  20  francs  on  every  200  pounds  of  oil  and  head  matter  up  to  the  31st 
of  December,  1845. 

"  15  francs  on  every  200  pounds  of  oil  and  head  matter  from  the  1st 
of  January,  1846,  until  the  31st  of  December,  1850. 

"  The  same  ships  often  touch  twice  during  the  year. 

"  It  will  be  seen  that  ships  of  late  years  have  not  generally  succeeded  in 
obtaining  as  much  sperm  oil  as  they  did  twenty  years  ago.  I  have  at- 


APPENDIX.  545 

tempted  to  demonstrate  the  exact  amount  of  the  decrease,  by  selecting, 
as  they  occur  in  Mr.  Reynolds's  lists,  six  ships  for  each  year  out,  re 
spectively  the  same  number  of  months.  But  as  it  is  impossible  to  find 
the  same  number  of  ships  for  every  year,  out  precisely  the  same  time, 
blanks  occur  which  can  not  be  filled  up,  and  hence  the  comparison  is  in 
complete." 

For  the  purpose  of  encouraging  whalers  to  visit  Honolulu,  the  king  has 
enacted  laws  which  afford  them  facilities  over  every  other  class  of  ves 
sels  in  obtaining  refreshments  and  recruits.  "  All  whalers  are  allowed 
to  sell  goods  to  the  amount  of  $200  each,  without  paying  any  duty  what 
ever." 

"  The  harbor  dues  at  this  port  are  the  following,  viz. :  20  cents  per 
ton  on  merchant  vessels  ;  6  cents  per  ton  on  whale  ships  and  merchant 
vessels  entering  for  the  purpose  ofobtaining  refreshments  only." 

"  The  consumption  of  goods  in  the  Sandwich  Islands  is  not  to  be 
measured  by  the  native  population,  numerically  considered.  Regard  must 
be  had  to  the  foreign  population,  which  is  now  very  considerable,  and  the 
rates  of  whose  consumption  is  much  greater  than  that  of  the  ill-clothed 
and  ^oz-fed  natives.  Nor  must  we  overlook  the  floating  market  arising 
from  the  immense  fleet  of  whalers  that  touch  yearly  at  these  islands,  dur 
ing  the  seasons  of  the  spring  and  fall.  Each  of  these  whalers  is  sup 
posed  to  purchase  vegetables,  beef,  and  other  produce  of  the  islands,  to 
the  yearly  amount  of  $200  on  an  average,  and  from  $600  to  $1300  in  oth 
er  articles  bought  from  the  stores.  I  take  the  whole  range,  because  some 
old  residents  estimate  the  total  consumption  of  each  whaler  at  $800, 
while  others  estimate  it  as  high  as  $1500.  I  have  been  assured  that, 
when  the  English  whalers  frequented  this  port,  the  average  consumption 
of  each  vessel  used  to  be  from  £250  to  £300. 

"  But  even  were  the  consumption  much  less,  it  is  obvious  that  the  pros 
perity  of  these  islands  has  depended,  and  does  depend,  mainly  upon  the 
whale  ships  that  annually  flock  to  their  ports,  many  of  them  coming 
twice  a  year.  Were  the  whale  fishery  to  fall  off",  as  seems  in  some 
measure  to  be  the  case,  or  were  the  vessels  engaged  in  it  to  abandon 
these  islands  for  some  others  in  this  ocean,  or  for  ports  on  the  Main,  the 
ports  in  the  Sandwich  Islands  would  relapse  into  their  primitive  insignif 
icance.  The  government  seems  to  be  aware  of  this,  for  I  have  shown 
in  my  notes  that  there  are  exceptions  in  favor  of  whalers,  both  in  the  du 
ties  and  port  dues.  My  only  doubt  is  whether  these  exceptions  have 
been  carried  far  enough.  I  incline  to  the  belief  that  whale  ships  should 
be  exempted  from  all  port  dues,  and  that  the  police  regulations  toward 
sailors  should  be  the  mildest  that  the  maintenance  of  order  will  permit." 

These  police  regulations  are  something  of  a  curiosity,  as  will  be  seen 
from  the  following  abstract : 

"  Hanging,  as  a  murderer,  for  knowingly  and  maliciously  violating 
those  laws  whereby  a  contagious  disease  is  communicated  on  shore. 

"  $60  fine  on  any  captain  who  leaves  on  shore  any  of  his  men  without 
leave  in  writing  from  the  governor. 

Zzz 


546  APPENDIX. 

"  $10  for  coming  on  shore  with  a  knife,  sword-cane,  or  any  other  dan 
gerous  weapon. 

"  $2  for  every  seaman  seized  on  shore,  after  the  firing  of  the  second 
gun  from  the  fort,  at  half  past  nine  o'clock  P.M. 

"  $10  on  every  person  who  aids,  secretes,  or  entertains  a  seaman  on 
shore  after  that  hour ;  and  the  same  fine  on  every  person  who  by  force 
opposes  the  police  in  their  search  for  such  seaman. 

"  $1  to  $5  for  hallooing  or  making  a  noise  in  the  streets  at  night. 

"  $6  for  striking  another  in  a  quarrel. 

"  $5  for  racing  or  swift  riding  in  the  streets  or  frequented  roads. 

"  $1  for  desecrating  the  Sabbath  for  the  first  time. 

"  $2  for  desecrating  the  Sabbath  for  the  second  time ;  and  then  the 
fine  is  doubled  for  every  repetition  of  the  offense. 

"  $6  for  drunkenness.  • 

"  $5  for  fornication. 

"  $30  for  adultery. 

"  $50  for  rape. 

"$10  for  lewd,  seductive,  and  lascivious  conduct. 

"  $6  reward  for  catching  every  deserter  near  to  the  harbor ;  $12  if 
ten  miles  off. 

"The  port  of  Honolulu,  Oahu,  is  in  latitude  21°  18'  N.,  and  longitude 
158°  1'  west  from  Greenwich.  The  climate  is  subject  to  little  variation, 
the  thermometer  ranging  only  from  71°  to  83°." 

The  religious  institutions  in  Honolulu  are  in  a  flourishing  condition, 
and  the  missionaries  stationed  there  are  pursuing  their  labors  with 
much  zeal. 

I  trust  the  great  importance  of  this  port  as  a  rendezvous  for  our  whal 
ing  fleet  in  the  Pacific  Ocean  will  be  deemed  a  sufficient  excuse  for  the 
length  to  which  I  have  extended  my  quotations.  There  are  a  few  more 
points,  in  relation  to  which  very  little  is  known  in  this  country,  so  inti 
mately  associated  with  the  interests  of  American  whale  ships,  that  I 
can  not  refrain  from  introducing  them. 

"  NATIVE  SEAMEN. — I  have  never  heard  any  captain  of  a  vessel,"  says 
WyLlie,  "  who  did  not  speak  highly  of  the  native  seamen  whom  he  had 
employed.  They  are  eminently  subordinate,  docile,  goood-natured,  and 
trustworthy,  and,  with  proper  training,  they  become  good,  efficient  sea 
men.  Their  extraordinary  expertness  in  swimming  renders  them  of 
great  use  where  boats  are  employed  in  surfs. 

"  It  is  very  common  for  the  young  natives  to  engage  themselves  on 
board  of  whalers  and  other  ships  for  long  voyages.  They  can  not  now 
so  embark  without  license  from  the  governor  of  the  i-sland  to  which  they 
belong  ;  and  the  captain  who  takes  them  away  is  required  to  sign  a  bond 
of  $200  for  their  return  within  three  years  from  date,  provided  he  bo 
then  alive. 

"  The  number  of  young  men  yearly  taken  off  the  islands  as  sailors  was 
in  former  years  so  great  as  to  be  considered  by  many  one  of  the  causes 
of  the  depopulation  of  the  islands.  I  do  not  believe  that  it  deserved  to 


APPENDIX.  547 

be  so  considered  to  any  great  extent,  for  although  some  of  the  natives 
remained  abroad,  and  were  never  afterward  heard  of,  yet  many  of  them 
returned,  and  those  who  did  carried  with  them  a  degree  of  knowledge  and 
civilization  useful  to  their  countrymen,  and  more  than  compensating  for 
the  loss  of  those  who  never  came  back. 

"  All  these  traveled  kanakas  are  readily  distinguishable  among  the  pop 
ulation,  by  their  superior  cleanliness,  dress,  and  assimilation  to  foreign 
ers  in  their  manners  and  habits."  The  number  of  natives  from  the  port 
of  Honolulu  alone,  serving  in  whalers  from  January  1st,  1843,  to  June  1st, 
1844,  was  forty-four.  "  At  Mani,  and  from  other  parts  and  ports  of  the 
islands,  perhaps  an  equal  number  have  been  shipped  during  the  same  pe 
riod." 

"  The  wages  paid  these  men  varies  from  $5  to  $10  (per  month),  except 
where  paid  by  '  lays'1  in  whaling  vessels  ;  but  taking  88  as  a  low  average, 
and  in  the  assumption  that  550  is  the  number  of  native  seamen  so  em 
ployed,  their  collective  earnings  will  amount  to  $4400  yearly.  There  is 
little  doubt  that  part  of  that  sum,  sooner  or  later,  finds  its  way  back  to 
these  islands,  as  happens  with  the  migratory  laborers  of  the  Dutch,  of 
Lucca,  and  of  Ireland  and  the  Highlands  of  Scotland. 

"  The  lays,  or  shares  allowed  in  whalers,  vary  from  a  120th  to  a  250th  ; 
though  perhaps  three  fourths  of  the  kanakas  get  a  140th  or  a  150th,  the 
same  as  allowed  to  European  or  American  seamen." 

It  will  be  gratifying  to  the  friends  of  temperance  to  learn  that  the  abo 
lition  of  all  intoxicating  liquors  on  board  our  whaling  vessels  has  become 
general,  indeed,  I  believe,  universal.  The  Rev.  F.  C.  Damon,  editor  of 
the  Honolulu  Friend,  bears  testimony  to  the  cheering  fact  in  the  follow 
ing  extracts  from  an  editorial  article  of  December  2d,  1844  : 

"  It  is  with  pleasure  that  we  are  able  to  report  that  the  temperance  re 
form  is  triumphantly  advancing  among  whalemen  in  the  Pacific  Ocean." 

"  Every  ship  has  more  or  less  tetotallers  among  its  crew.  We  can  not 
now  call  to  mind  a  single  exception  in  that  portion  of  the  whaling  fleet  that 
has  visited  Honolulu  within  the  past  season." 


A  LIST  OF  THE  CRUISING-GROUNDS  FREQUENTED  BY 
WHALERS. 

"  Although  the  spermaceti  whale,"  says  Beale,  "has  been  seen  and  even 
captured  in  almost  every  part  of  the  ocean  between  the  latitude  of  60° 
south  and  60°  north,  I  am  not  aware  that  it  has  ever  been  seen  in  the 
Mediterranean  Sea,  and  seldom  or  never  at  Greenland,  by  modern  navi 
gators,  although  several  ancient  authors  agree  in  stating  that  it  has  been 
frequently  seen  there ;  for  Cuvier  has  stated,  from  some  authority,  that 
the  Greenlanders  are  remarkably  fond  of  its  flesh,  which  they  consider  a 
delicate  viand  when  it  is  dried  in  smoke  ;  they  '  also  feed,'  says  Cuvier, 
1  upon  the  fat  entrails  and  skin.'  And  Sir  Thomas  Brown,  in  his  work, 
published  in  1686,  after  stating  that  many  conceive  the  sperm  whale  to 


548  APPENDIX. 

have  been  the  fish  which  swallowed  Jonah,'  also  says  that  <  Greenland 
inquirers  seldom  meet  with  a  whale  of  this  kind.' 

•'  Whether  this  has  been  the  case  in  former  times  or  not,  I  will  not  pre 
sume  to  determine  ;  I  can  only  say  that  I  have  now  made  many  inquiries 
among  several  captains  of  ships  who  have  been  engaged  in  the  Green 
land  fisheries,  and  not  one  of  them  ever  saw  a  sperm  whale  so  far  north 
as  Greenland.  They  are  seldom  or  never  seen  on  '  soundings,'  that  is, 
where  the  bottom  of  the  sea  can  be  touched  by  the  deepest  sea  line,  or 
in  the  '  banks,'  as  they  are  termed  by  whalers,  that  exist  in  various  parts 
of  the  ocean,  as  the  '  Brazil  banks,'  which  are  only  discolorations  of  water, 
caused  by  myriads  of  animalculee,  which  perhaps  form  the  common  black 
whale's  food,  and  which  consist  of  '  squillae'  and  other  small  animals. 
But  the  sperm  whale  has  been  sometimes  taken  near  the  borders  of  these 
'  submarine  pastures,'  particularly  near  those  of  Brazil.  The  favorite 
places  of  his  resort  at  the  present  day  appear  in  the  following  list : 

"  New  Guinea  and  parts  adjacent. — On  the  north  coast  of  New  Guinea, 
from  140°  to  146°  east  longitude.  New  Ireland,  from  Cape  St.  George 
to  Cape  St.  Mary ;  from  Squally  Island  to  the  northward ;  from  St. 
George's  Channel  to  the  southward  ;  on  the  east  coast  of  New  Britain  ; 
about  the  Islands  of  Bougainville,  as  far  as  the  Green  or  Bentley's  Isl 
ands  ;  Solomon's  Archipelago,  as  far  to  the  northward  as  Howe's  Group  ; 
Malanta,  along  the  northeast  and  southwest  parts,  and  in  the  straits,  as 
far  to  the  north  as  Gower's  Island ;  and  off  the  west  points  of  New 
Hanover. 

"  King's  Mill  Group. — Off  any  part  of  these  islands,  but  more  espe 
cially  off  the  southwest  parts  of  Roach's  Island,  distant  from  the  land 
thirty  or  forty  miles,  and  off  the  southwest  portion  of  Byron's  Island. 

"  Equinoctial  Line. — From  the  longitude  of  168°  to  175°  east. 

"  Ellis' s  Group. — Off  the  south  side,  distant  from  the  land  three  or  four 
miles. 

"  Rotuma. — Off  the  southeast  side,  distant  from  the  land  fifteen  to 
thirty  miles. 

"  New  Holland. — Off  the  eastern  coast,  from  latitude  25°  to  34°,  and 
along  the  northwest  coast. 

"  New  Zealand. — From  the  east  cape  to  the  north  cape,  the  land  dip 
ping,  and  off  the  shoal  to  the  northeastward,  as  far  as  Curtis's  Island. 

"  Tongataboo. — Off  Middleburgh  Island,  and  isles  adjacent. 

"  Navigator  Islands. — Southwest  side  of  Tootooillah. 

"  From  Fenning's  to  Christmas  Island. — Situated  on  the  line. 

"American  Continent.  Peru. — Off  the  shore,  from  longitude  west  90° 
to  130°,  in  the  latitude  5°  south  to  the  line.  Coast  of  Peru,  from  the 
line  to  16°  south,  off  Paita  Head,  used  to  be  very  famous. 

"  Gallipagos  Islands.  —  Off  the  south  head  of  Albemarle  Island; 
Weather  and  Lee  Bays,  or  Elizabeth  and  Banks's  Bays. 

"  Middle  Ground. — Between  the  Continent  and  the  Gallipagos  Islands. 

"  Molucca  Islands. — Off  the  north  point  of  Moratay,  and  off  the  east  and 
west  sides  of  Gillalo,  and  also  off  the  adjacent  isles. 


APPENDIX.  549 

"  Bonton. — Off  the  east  side  and  in  the  straits. 

"  Timor. — In  the  Straits  of  Timor  ;  off  the  south  side  of  Omby ;  off  the 
south  side  of  Panton,  and  off  the  south  side  of  the  adjacent  islands,  as 
far  as  Sandal-wood  Island,  to  Java  Head ;  and  off  the  shore  in  latitude  12° 
to  16°,  and  longitude  from  112°  to  120°. 

"  Mahee  Island. — Off  the  eastern  side  ;  off  Johanna  Island,  in  the  Mo 
zambique  Channel ;  off  the  Island  of  Aldabra ;  on  the  line,  from  55°  to 
60°  ;  off  the  Cape  St.  Marys,  Madagascar. 

"  Chili. — Off  the  island  of  Chiloe,  to  the  northward,  along  the  coast  of 
Chili,  and  as  far  south  as  37°,  the  land  dipping. 

"  California. — Off  Cape  St.  Lucas,  and  off  the  Tres  Maria  Islands. 

"  Japan. — Along  the  coast ;  Volcano  Bay  ;  Loo  Choo  Islands  ;  off 
shore  ground  of  Japan,  from  the  latitude  of  28°  to  40°. 

"  Benin  Islands. — All  round  them,  within  forty  miles. 

"  China  Sea. 

"  Red  Sea. 

"  Persian  Gulf. 

"  They  are  not  unfrequently  seen  about  the  equinoctial  line  in  the  At 
lantic  Ocean." 

Although  this  list  embraces  In  general  terms  the  principal  cruising 
grounds  known  to  whalers,  it  is  by  no  means  as  full  as  that  given  in  the 
last  chapter  of  Wilkes's  Narrative,  which  comprises  all  the  discoveries  of 
new  grounds  recently  made.  It  may  seem  supererogatory  to  introduce 
both  ;  but,  anxious  to  make  this  part  of  the  Appendix  as  complete  as  pos 
sible,  I  quote  them,  at  the  risk  of  prolixity,  because  there  is  some  differ 
ence  in  the  statements  of  the  two  writers,  and  some  of  the  information  con 
tained  in  the  remarks  of  the  first  is  not  to  be  found  in  those  of  the  last. 
Besides,  Beale  should  have  his  full  meed  of  the  credit  of  having  given,  per 
haps,  the  first  extended  list  of  the  cruising-grounds  resorted  to  by  whalers. 

I  have  frequently  heard  it  suggested  that  Wilkes's  chapter  on  the 
whale  fishery  should  be  published  in  some  cheap  form,  so  that  all  who 
feel  an  interest  in  the  subject  may  have  access  to  it.  There  are  many 
who  can  not  afford  to  pay  $60  for  the  best,  or  $25  for  the  cheapest  edition 
of  the  whole  narrative.  The  benefits  of  the  information  relating  to  the 
whale  fishery  are,  therefore,  almost  exclusively  confined  to  the  wealthy, 
or  those  who  are  able  to  purchase  the  five  volumes.  Valuable  knowledge 
of  this  kind  ought  to  be  disseminated  among  all  classes.  Two  reasons 
induce  me  to  believe  it  will  be  an  acceptable  addition  to  the  present  work  : 
first,  because  it  gives  an  authentic  and  satisfactory  explanation  of  many 
things  which  I  had  no  opportunity  of  observing  with  care  ;  and,  second, 
because  it  will  complete  a  full,  valuable,  and,  I  hope,  not  uninteresting 
compilation,  giving  a  view  of  the  whale  fishery,  from  its  origin  up  to  the 
present  time,  in  such  a  form  as  will  enable  seamen  as  well  as  captains  to 
have  access  to  it. 

"  The  whaling  interest,  taking  into  consideration  the  extent  to  which 
it  has  been  carried  by  our  countrymen,  may  be  almost  claimed  as  pecul 
iarly  American.  There  are  few  employments  in  which  the  enterprise 


550  APPENDIX. 

and  industry  of  our  countrymen  are  so  well  developed  as  in  this,  or  in 
which  so  much  hardihood  or  so  many  resources  are  required  to  ensure 
success. 

"  Our  whaling  fleet  may  be  said  at  this  very  day  to  whiten  the  Pacific 
Ocean  with  its  canvass,  and  the  proceeds  of  this  fishery  give  comfort  and 
happiness  to  many  thousands  of  our  citizens.  The  ramifications  of  the 
business  extend  to  all  branches  of  trade,  are  spread  through  the  whole 
Union,  and  its  direct  or  secondary  influence  would  seem  to  recommend 
it  to  the  especial  protection  and  fostering  care  of  the  government. 

"  As  it  was  among  the  first  objects  of  the  Exploring  Expedition  to  ren 
der  the  dangerous  path  of  these  enterprising  mariners  more  safe,  I  trust 
it  will  have  been  perceived  that  throughout  the  operations  of  the  squad 
ron  this  interest  has  never  been  lost  sight  of.  In  fact,  it  has  always 
been  my  constant  study  to  accomplish  whatever  could  tend  to  its  benefit. 
In  the  course  of  the  various  and  devious  voyages  we  have  made,  the 
greatest  attention  has  been  paid  to  the  winds  and  currents  ;  and  from  my 
investigations  I  hope  to  be  able  to  point  out  the  most  feasible  routes  by 
which  to  gain  the  proper  cruising  grounds,  and  to  define  their  localities 
more  clearly  than  has  hitherto  been  done. 

"  Among  other  duties,  we  were  called  upon  to  administer  chastisement 
for  the  murder  of  portions  of  the  crews  of  whale  ships,  as  well  as  of  per 
sons  belonging  to  the  squadron,  which  was  done,  not  as  a  vindictive  re 
taliation,  but  to  convince  the  natives  that  their  attacks  on  vessels  bear 
ing  our  flag  can  not  pass  with  impunity. 

"  In  all  places  to  foster  a  good  feeling,  to  establish  a  system  of  fair 
dealing,  to  win  confidence,  and  to  act  justly.  The  knowledge  of  the  na 
tive  character  which  I  have  obtained,  and  have  recorded  in  the  preceding 
pages,  will,  I  hope,  be  of  use  in  preserving  a  good  understanding  between 
them  and  those  who  follow  us.  Rules  and  regulations  were  agreed  upon 
in  many  places  with  the  chiefs,  for  the  purpose  of  rendering  the  property 
and  lives  of  our  citizens  more  secure  in  their  visits  to  the  ports  of  the 
islands  ;  and  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  they  will  be  strictly  observed  on  the 
part  of  American  vessels. 

"  The  Expedition  has  done  much,  by  its  surveys  and  explorations,  to 
make  the  islands,  their  anchorages  and  harbors,  better  known  ;  and  very 
many  doubtful  shoals,  reefs,  and  islands  have  been  carefully  searched  for. 
Particular  information  respecting  these  dangers  will  be  embraced  in  the 
hydrographical  memoir. 

"Our  whaling,  fleet  now  counts  six  hundred  and  seventy -five  vessels, 
the  greater  part  of  which  are  ships  of  four  hundred  tons  burden,  amount 
ing  in  all  to  two  hundred  thousand  tons.  The  majority  of  these  vessels 
cruise  in  the  Pacific  Ocean.  Between  fifteen  and  sixteen  thousand  of 
our  countrymen  are  required  to  man  these  vessels,  half  of  whom  go  to 
sea  for  the  first  time  as  '  green  hands,'  and  return,  after  a  voyage  of  fa 
tigue  and  hazard,  transformed  into  sailors. 

"  The  value  of  the  whale  fleet  is  estimated  at  not  less  than  twenty-five 
millions  of  dollars,  yielding  an  annual  return  of  five  millions  extracted 


[  APPENDIX.  551 

from  the  ocean  by  hard  toil,  exposure,  and  danger.  The  estimated  quan 
tity  of  oil  imported  into  the  United  States  is  about  four  hundred  thousand 
barrels,  nearly  one  half  of  which  is  sperm  oil. 

"  It  might  be  said  that  the  employment  of  so  large  a  number  of  persons 
is  not  constant,  because  many  of  the  vessels  are  always  to  be  found  in 
our  harbors.  But  it  is  well  known  that  the  same  number  of  hands  are 
employed  in  port  as  at  sea  ;  and  I  believe,  from  my  own  observation  and 
the  statements  of  others,  that,  so  far  from  falling  below  the  estimate,  the 
number  of  persons  actually  engaged  in  this  business  would  greatly  exceed 
the  registry  of  the  crews,  as  our  ships  are  constantly  in  the  practice  of 
taking  on  board  extra  hands  from  the  Azores,  Cape  de  Verds,  and  South 
Sea  Islands,  which  would  probably  amount  to  an  eighth  or  a  tenth 
more. 

"  The  number  of  those  on  shore  to  whom  this  branch  of  business  gives 
employment  will  readily  be  admitted  to  be  twice  as  great  as  that  of  the 
crews.  When  we  add  to  this  profitable  occupation  of  so  many  persons, 
the  value  of  the  domestic  products  consumed  by  them,  and  the  benefit 
that  is  thus  conferred  upon  both  our  agricultural  and  manufacturing  in 
terests,  the  importance  of  this  branch  of  business  will  appear  greatly  en 
hanced.  By  a  large  majority  of  persons  it  is  believed  that  the  whale 
fishery  is  a  mere  lottery,  in  which  success  is  more  owing  to  good  luck 
than  to  good  management.  Those,  however,  who  entertain  such  an 
opinion  are  in  error.  There  is,  perhaps,  no  employment  on  the  ocean 
wherein  a  sound  judgment  is  more  necessary,  and  no  business  where 
success  depends  more  upon  the  experience,  enterprise,  and  industry  of 
the  commander  than  in  that  of  whaling. 

"  Voyages  may  indeed  be  made  by  incompetent  persons,  and  by  fortu 
itous  circumstances  success  may  be  obtained ;  but  those  who  are  well 
acquainted  with  the  business  will  almost  certainly  4  fill  up'  in  the  time  al 
lotted  to  a  voyage,  and  frequently  in  a  much  shorter  period. 

"  There  are  two  kinds  of  whales  that  are  principally  the  object  of  search 
by  our  whalers.  These  are  the  sperm  whale  (Macrocephalus),  and  the 
right  whale  (Mysticetus).  These  two  animals  differ  exceedingly,  both  in 
their  form  and  in  their  habits.  The  first  is  furnished  with  teeth,  the  last 
with  a  collection  of  laminae  ;  they  are  therefore  adapted  to  different  kinds 
of  food :  the  former  feeds  on  the  large  medusa  of  the  ocean,  termed  by 
the  whalers  squid  ;  the  other  on  small  Crustacea,  and  small  fish.  Their 
feeding  grounds  are  seldom  in  the  same  places  ;  for,  while  the  latter  fre 
quents  the  coasts  and  bays,  the  former  is  seldom  found  except  in  the 
deep  sea,  and  generally  far  from  the  land. 

"  Whales  of  the  two  different  kinds  are  easily  distinguished  at  a  dis 
tance  by  the  experienced,  from  the  volume  of  their  spout,  its  direction 
and  elevation,  the  number  of  times  it  is  repeated,  the  manner  in  which 
they  dive,  the  length  of  time  they  disappear,  and  the  body  they  expose 
to  view. 

"I  shall  now  proceed  to  point  out  the  cruising  grounds,  and  explain 
the  operations  of  the  whalers,  directing  my  attention  first  to  the  sperm 


552  APPENDIX. 

whale  fishery,  not  only  because  it  is  the  most  valuable,  but  because  it 
depends  more  upon  the  skill  and  information  of  those  engaged  in  it. 

"  The  master  of  a  whale  ship  should  be  a  good  seaman  and  navigator, 
well  acquainted  with  the  winds  and  currents,  as  well  as  with  the  cruis 
ing  grounds  of  his  prey.  When  he  is  thoroughly  acquainted  with  these, 
and  possesses  a  good  ship,  with  a  spirit  of  perseverance  and  energy,  there 
is  little  fear  of  his  returning  home  with  a  'clean  ship.' 

"  The  principal  whaling  grounds  in  the  Pacific  are  shown  on  the  map 
annexed  to  this  chapter ;  they  are  confined  particularly  to  spaces  which 
have  been  known  in  the  Pacific  Ocean  by  names  well  understood  among 
the  whalers,  such  as  the  '  on  shore  ground,'  and  the  '  off  shore  ground,' 
'  middle  ground,'  &c.  These  spaces,  however,  have  wide  limits ;  thus, 
for  instance,  the  '  on  shore  ground'  embraces  the  whole  extent  of  ocean 
along  the  coast  of  Chili  and  Peru,  from  the  Island  of  Juan  Fernandez  to 
the  Gallipagos  Islands  ;  and  the  '  off  shore  ground'  the  space  between 
Jatitude  5°  and  10°  south,  longitude  90°  and  120°  west. 

"  The  following  embraces  all  the  different  grounds  in  the  Pacific  visited 
by  our  whalers : 

"  1.  The  on  shore  ground. 

"2.  The  offshore  ground. 

"  3.  In  the  neighborhood  of  the  Hawaiian  Islands. 

"4.  In  the  neighborhood  of  the  Society  Islands. 

"  5.  In  the  neighborhood  of  the  Samoan  Group. 

"6.  In  the  neighborhood  of  the  Feejee  Group. 

"7.  In  the  neighborhood  of  the  King's  Mill  Group. 

"  8.  Along  and  to  the  south  of  the  equator,  from  the  coast  of  South 
America  to  the  King's  Mill  Group. 

"9.  Across  the  South  Pacific,  between  the  parallels  of  21°  and  27° 
south. 

"  10.  Across  the  North  Pacific,  between  the  parallels  of  27°  and  35° 
north. 

"  11.  In  the  neighborhood  of  the  east  coast  of  New  Zealand. 

"  12.  The  middle  ground  between  New  Holland  and  New  Zealand. 

"  13.  The  coast  of  Japan,  and  between  it  and  the  Benin  Islands. 

"  14.  The  northwest  coast  of  America. 

"  15.  Coast  of  California. 

"  These,  it  will  be  seen,  embrace  a  large  field,  and  it  might  be  suppos 
ed  that  a  ship  could  hardly  miss  finding  the  animals.  Such,  however,  is 
not  the  case.  A  vessel  may  visit  all  these  places,  and  yet  return  home 
a  '  clean  ship,'  if  she  happened  to  be  out  of  season.  It  appears  from  ex 
perience  that  whales,  in  their  migrations,  congregate  in  the  above- 
named  places  at  certain  times  of  the  year,  and  those  who  are  acquaint 
ed  with  the  business  endeavor  to  be  early  on  the  cruising  grounds.  I 
shall  now  point  out  the  times,  according  to  the  best  information,  at 
which  the  whales  visit  the  several  grounds,  and,  although  not  a  whaler, 
I  hope  to  give  such  information  as  may  be  useful  to  this  class  of  my 
countrymen. 


APPENDIX.  553 

"  For  convenience  of  description,  the  cruising  grounds  may  be  consid 
ered  as  included  within  four  sections  or  belts. 

"  These  belts  are  from  twenty  to  twenty-five  degrees  of  latitude  in 
width. 

"  The  first  of  which  I  shall  speak  is  that  between  the  equator  and  the 
northern  tropic  ;  the  second,  between  the  tropic  and  50°  north  ;  the  third, 
between  the  equator  and  the  southern  tropic  and  latitude  50°  south. 

"  Within  the  tropics  whales  are  almost  always  to  be  met  with.  There 
are,  however,  particular  places  within  this  zone  where  they  chiefly  con 
gregate.  Whales  are  found  in  the  first  belt  on  the  north  side  of  the  equa 
tor,  to  the  southward  of  the  Sandwich  Islands,  and  thence  westward  as 
far  as  the  Mulgrave  Islands,  for  the  greater  part  of  the  year ;  but  the  only 
spot  or  space  they  are  known  to  abound  in  at  any  particular  season, 
within  this  belt,  is  to  the  westward  of  the  Gallipagos  ;  they  pass  and  re- 
pass  over  the  rest  of  this  space  in  their  migrations,  and  may  generally  be 
found  near  to  or  around  the  small  islands. 

"  In  the  second  belt,  they  range  from  the  coast  of  Japan  to  the  north 
west  coast  of  America  and  California  ;  this  they  frequent  from  May  till 
November.  In  the  month  of  July  they  are  found  off  the  Benin  Islands, 
and  between  them  and  the  coast  of  Japan.  They  frequent  the  space  ly 
ing  to  the  northward  of  the  Hawaiian  Islands,  and  comprehended  between 
the  parallels  of  28°  and  35°  north ;  and  within  the  meridians  of  145°  and 
156°  west,  from  June  to  October ;  and  resort  to  the  northwest  coast  of 
America  in  August  and  September,  and  to  that  of  California  in  Novem 
ber  and  January. 

"  The  third  belt  comprises  the  ocean  from  the  coast  of  South  America 
to  the  King's  Mill  Group,  including  the  Marquesas,  Society,  and  Friendly 
Islands,  the  Samoan  and  Feejee  Groups.  Within  these  are  the  spaces 
known  as  the  '  on  shore  and  offshore  grounds.'  The  latter  the  whalers 
frequent  from  November  to  February,  and  along  this  belt  they  are  found 
until  the  months  of  July  and  August,  by  which  time  they  reach  the  King's 
Mill  and  Feejee  Groups.  There  are,  however,  stragglers  to  be  met  with 
in  this  space  during  all  seasons. 

"  The  fourth  belt  extends  from  the  southern  tropic  to  the  latitude  of 
50°  south.  The  most  profitable  time  for  cruising  within  it  is  in  the 
months  of  March,  April,  and  May,  to  the  eastward  of  New  Zealand.  Af 
ter  that  date,  along  and  between  the  parallels  of  22°  and  28°  south,  from 
the  coast  of  New  Holland  to  that  of  South  America.  The  portion  of  sea 
between  New  Holland  and  New  Zealand  is  called  the  '  middle  ground,' 
and  is  frequently  found  very  profitable. 

"  From  an  examination  of  the  particular  localities  in  which  whales  are 
found  most  at  certain  seasons,  and  connecting  these  with  my  own  ob 
servations  on  currents,  I  am  induced  to  believe  the  places  of  their  resort 
will  point  more  correctly  to  the  neutral  points,  or  spaces  of  no  current, 
than  any  other  data  that  we  yet  possess. 

"  These  must  necessarily  become  the  rendezvous,  or  feeding-places,  of 
these  animals.  The  determination  of  these  points  will,  therefore,  throw 

4  A 


554  APPENDIX. 

additional  light  on  the  system  of  currents  in  the  ocean,  by  pointing  out 
the  neutral  spaces.  The  chief  resort  of  whales  will  be  seen  on  the  map 
at  one  view ;  and  when  these  are  connected  with  the  currents  shown  to 
exist  by  the  observations  of  the  Expedition  and  others,  they  will  be  found 
to  correspond  in  a  remarkable  manner  with  the  neutral  spaces. 

"I  have  myself  paid  much  attention  to  acquiring  information  in  rela 
tion  to  the  position  of  these  grounds  from  the  masters  of  whale  ships, 
but  have  usually  found  their  reports  at  variance  one  with  another,  and 
they  have  sometimes  differed  as  much  as  five  degrees  in  assigning  their 
limits.  Their  position,  no  doubt,  varies  much  in  different  years  ;  but  even 
this  will  not  explain  all  the  discrepancies  of  the  statements. 

"  If  we  examine  the  seasons  of  the  appearance  of  whales  at  certain 
islands,  they  will  generally  be  found  to  be  between  the  beginning  and  the 
end  of  the  summer  of  the  climate,  during  which  time  animal  life  is  most 
prolific,  and  the  food  of  the  whale  consequently  abounds  near  the  partic 
ular  group.  I  have  frequently  been  told,  and  it  is  generally  believed, 
that  whales  are  partial  to  warmth,  and  frequent  few  places  outside  the 
tropics.  This,  if  true,  would  be  singular  enough  ;  but  the  main  reason 
for  their  frequenting  the  summer  seas  at  particular  seasons  is  the  pro 
curement  of  food,  which  is  there  to  be  found  in  greater  abundance  ;  and 
there  appears  to  be  little  doubt  that  in  migrating  these  animals  move 
with  the  currents  until  they  find  their  food  in  plenty,  and  then  continue 
in  such  locality  until  it  is  exhausted. 

"  A  number  of  instances  are  known,  as  will  be  seen  by  referring  to  the 
Track  Map  which  will  be  found  in  the  Atlas  to  this  volume,  in  which, 
at  certain  seasons,  strong  currents  have  been  experienced  in  places 
where  three  months  afterward  they  were  found  to  have  ceased  altogether, 
or  even  to  have  changed  their  direction.  I  have  now  particular  reference 
to  the  northwest  coast. 

"  Having  pointed  out  the  different  belts  in  the  Pacific,  I  will  now  refer 
to  the  localities  in  the  Atlantic  and  Indian  Oceans,  where  the  sperm 
whale  fishery  is  most  successful. 

"  These,  in  like  manner,  are  found  to  correspond,  and  are  connected 
with,  the  obstructions  of  the  submarine  currents,  or  the  places  where, 
from  opposing  currents,  they  become  lost. 

"  In  the  Atlantic  Ocean  : 

"  1.  Off  the  Azores,  or  Western  Islands. 

"2.  Off  the  Cape  de  Verdes. 

"3.  North  of  the  Bahama  Banks. 

"4.  Gulf  of  Mexico. 

"  5.  Caribbean  Sea. 

"  6.  To  the  eastward  of  the  Windward  Islands. 

"  7.  North  coast  of  Brazil. 

"  8.  South  coast  of  Brazil. 

"  9.  Carrol  Ground,  or  a  space  of  ocean  lying  between  St.  Helena  and 
Africa. 

"In  the  Indian  Ocean: 


APPENDIX.  555 

«  l.  Off  the  south  end  of  Madagascar,  and  between  it  and  Africa. 

"2.  Off  the  north  end  of  Madagascar. 

"3.  The  coast  of  Arabia. 

"4.  West  coast  of  Java. 

"  5.  Northwest  coast  of  New  Holland. 

"  6.  South  coast  of  New  Holland,  and  between  it  and  Van  Diemen's 
Land. 

"The  periods  of  time  allotted  to  these  fisheries  coincide  with  the  times 
at  which  it  might  be  expected  that  the  food  of  the  whale  would  be  most 
plentiful  if  brought  by  the  polar  streams. 

"  The  Atlantic  fishery  is,  for  the  most  part,  carried  on  in  a  smaller  class 
of  vessels  than  those  used  in  the  Pacific  ;  the  voyages  are  of  less  dura 
tion,  and  less  capital  is,  therefore,  required  in  this  business  than  the  other. 
In  speaking  of  cruising  grounds,  I  shall  follow  the  order  in  which  they 
are  visited. 

"  The  first  in  point  of  time  is  that  near  the  Azores.  This  ground  does 
not  extend  more  than  two  hundred  miles  from  these  islands,  and  lies 
principally  to  the  southwest  of  them.  Here  whales  are  found  during 
the  summer  months,  and  as  late  as  October.  These  islands,  it  will  be 
well  to  remark  here,  lie  in  the  route  of  the  great  North  Polar  Stream, 
and  form  an  obstruction  to  its  passage  ;  consequently,  the  food  is  arrest 
ed  in  its  progress,  and  is  accumulated  here. 

"  The  next  ground  visited  is  off  Cape  Blanco  and  the  Cape  de  Verdes, 
and  it  is  also  searched  by  the  o-utward-bound  ships  of  the  Pacific  fleet. 
The  whalers  of  the  Atlantic  next  pass  to  the  north  coast  of  Brazil,  in  the 
months  of  October,  November,  and  December,  and  thence  to  the  Brazil 
Bank,  and  off  the  mouths  of  the  Rio  de  la  Plata,  where  they  fish  in  Jan 
uary  and  February ;  after  this  they  seek  St.  Helena  and  Carrol  Ground, 
which  lies  from  fifty  to  two  hundred  miles  south  of  that  island,  toward 
the  Cape  of  Good  Hope.  On  the  latter  ground  they  remain  during  the 
months  of  March,  April,  and  May ;  and  thence  they  pass  to  the  west 
ward,  along  the  South  American  coast,  to  the  eastward  of  the  Windward 
Islands  ;  thence  to  the  Bahama  Banks,  Cape  Hatteras,  and  along  the 
coast  of  the  United  States,  home. 

"  The  smaller  class  of  whalers  seldom  extend  their  cruisings  to  the 
south  of  the  line,  but  after  they  have  visited  the  first  two  whaling  grounds 
they  usually  pass  to  the  westward,  toward  the  Islands  of  Fernando  de 
Noronha,  and  thence  along  the  South  American  coast,  till  they  reach  the 
Windward  Islands.  They  frequent  the  Caribbean  Sea  in  the  months  of 
January  and  February ;  and  farther  to  the  westward,  off  the  Peninsula 
of  Yucatan  and  Cuba,  in  April ;  after  which  time  they  proceed  through 
the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  to  cruise  off  the  Bahama  Banks  and  Cape  Hatteras, 
in  May.  Thence  they  pass  northward,  on  either  side  of.  the  Gulf  Stream, 
to  the  eastern  side  of  the  Grand  Banks. 

"  In  the  Indian  Ocean,  the  south  part  of  Madagascar,  off  Point  Dauphin, 
is  visited  in  March  and  April ;  in  May,  June,  and  July  the  ground  off  the 
southwest  coast  of  Madagascar,  in  the  Mozambique  Channel,  and  upon 


556  APPENDIX. 

both  sides  of  that  channel.  The  whalers  usually  recruit  in  St.  Augus 
tine's  Bay,  where  supplies  are  to  be  had  in  abundance,  and  both  wood 
and  water  are  easily  procured.  After  this  they  usually  spend  some  time 
off  Cape  Corrientes,  with  the  cape  and  headlands  on  either  side,  and  visit 
the  Comoro  Isles.  Sperm  whales  are  frequently  found  in  numbers  among 
these  islands,  and  ships  usually  do  well  in  their  vicinity.  The  African 
coast,  from  Mozambique  to  Zanzibar,  is  good  ground,  and  the  latter  is 
also  a  good  port  for  repairing. 

"  Some  ships  extend  their  cruising  during  the  northeast  monsoon,  from 
October  to  April,  to  the  Arabian  coast,  but  the  African  is  generally  pre 
ferred.  The  Chagos  Archipelago  at  times  affords  some  success,  but  it  is 
very  doubtful  ground,  and  has  not  been  often  frequented.  The  proper 
season  is  during  the  southwest  monsoon. 

"  The  most  profitable  ground  in  the  Indian  Ocean  is  the  west  and  north 
west  coast  of  New  Holland,  as  far  eastward  as  the  islands  of  Timor, 
Lomboch,  and  Angier,  and  westward  to  the  Keeling  Islands,  including 
the  coast  of  Java. 

"  On  reference  to  the  map  illustrative  of  the  currents  and  whaling 
grounds  before  referred  to,  it  will  be  perceived  how  nearly  these  grounds 
coincide  with  the  places  wherein,  according  to  the  views  already  stated, 
the  polar  streams  are  obstructed  by  land  or  islands,  so  as  either  to  inter 
rupt  their  course,  or  create  such  an  impediment  as  to  change  it. 

"  The  Soolo  Sea  is  the  only  place  that  remains  to  be  noticed.  Amer 
ican  ships,  however,  have  seldom  gone  thither  ;  but  English  vessels  are 
reported  as  having  met  with  much  success  there. 

"  There  are  two  routes  by  which  our  whale  ships  can  enter  the  Pacif 
ic  :  one  by  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  and  round  New  Holland  ;  the  other 
by  Cape  Horn. 

"  To  take  the  first  route,  they  ought  generally  to  time  their  departure 
so  as  to  meet  the  season  of  New  Zealand  in  March,  and  this  is  also  the 
best  course  for  ships  sailing  in  the  autumn  from  the  United  States.  They 
will  then  reach  their  whaling  ground  at  the  earliest  possible  season,  and 
place  themselves  at  once  in  a  situation  to  reach  the  harvest  of  which 
they  are  in  search  ;  and  they  would,  in  all  probability,  have  time  to  refit 
and  recruit  after  the  outward  voyage.  This  is  much  more  important  for 
insuring  success  in  this  employment  than  very  many,  either  of  the  mas 
ters  or  owners,  are  aware.  After  a  few  days  in  port,  and  a  supply  of 
fresh  vegetables,  they  would  find  both  their  ships  and  crews  in  a  better 
condition  to  take  the  sea  and  keep  it.  After  remaining  six  weeks  or  two 
months  on  the  New  Zealand  ground,  until  the  winter  season  and  bois 
terous  weather  approach,  the  vessels  should  pass  to  the  northward,  to 
ward  Sunday  Island,  and  thence  cruise  to  the  eastward,  between  the 
latitudes  of  22°  and  28°  south,  or  even  to  a  few  degrees  higher  latitude. 
The  lower  latitudes  are,  however,  found  to  be  the  most  frequented  b.y 
the  whale.  Along  these  parallels  they  proceed  as  far  as  the  coast  of 
South  America,  so  as  to  arrive  there  in  the  course  of  the  month  of  Sep 
tember,  after  passing  part  of  the  time  to  the  westward  of  the  islands  of 
Juan  Fernandez  and  Massafuera. 


APPENDIX.  557 

"  Other  vessels  reach  the  Society  Islands  in  June,  and  thence  pass  to 
the  westward,  in  order  to  meet  the  season  of  the  Samoan  and  Feejee 
Groups ;  thence,  again,  without  the  tropics,  to  the  south,  either  on  the 
'  middle  ground'  between  New  Holland  and  New  Zealand,  or  to  a  higher 
south  latitude,  and  again  meet  the  season  off  New  Zealand,  at  the  end 
of  the  summer  or  in  March.  Those  that  reach  the  coast  of  Chili  gener 
ally  recruit  in  the  Bay  of  Talcahuana,  or  in  the  port  of  Payta,  in  Peru, 
and  are  ready  to  take  up  the  season  on  the  « off  shore  ground'  in  No 
vember. 

"  Vessels  leaving  the  United  States  in  the  beginning  of  summer  would 
do  better  to  take  the  route  round  Cape  Horn,  reaching  Chili  or  Peru  in 
time  to  recruit  before  the  month  of  November,  at  which  time  they  repair 
to  the  '  off  shore  ground,'  where  they  remain  for  one,  two,  or  three 
months  ;  thence  pass  to  the  Marquesas  Islands,  and  to  the  westward  of 
them,  and  thence  to  the  west,  along  the  equator,  as  far  as  the  Mulgrave 
Islands,  and  the  coast  of  Japan.  Returning,  they  proceed  to  the  north 
west  coast  of  America,  California,  and,  finally,  reach  the  Sandwich 
Islands  to  recruit  by  the  months  of  October  and  November.  Other  ves 
sels  pass  directly  from  the  '  offshore  ground'  to  the  neighborhood  of  the 
Sandwich  Islands,  where  they  spend  the  months  of  February,  March, 
and  a  part  of  April ;  they  then  proceed  to  the  latitude  of  30°,  and  con 
tinue  their  cruising  on  each  side  of  that  parallel,  between  the  meridians 
of  145°  and  165°  west,  until  October,  when  they  repair  to  the  Hawaiian 
Islands  to  recruit. 

"  It  will  readily  be  seen  that  there  is  ample  room  for  a  vast  fleet  to  op 
erate  in  these  numerous  and  extensive  spaces  without  the  vessels  inter 
fering  with  each  other,  and  many  more  might  be  advantageously  em 
ployed.  An  opinion  has,  indeed,  gained  ground  within  a  few  years,  that 
the  whales  are  diminishing  in  numbers ;  but  this  surmise,  as  far  as  I 
have  learned  from  the  numerous  inquiries,  does  not  appear  to  be  well 
founded. 

"  They  have,  indeed,  become  wilder,  or,  as  some  of  the  whalers  express 
it,  '  more  scary,'  and,  in  consequence,  not  so  easy  to  capture  ;  but  if  we 
consider  the  numbers  that  continue  to  be  yearly  taken,  there  will,  I  think, 
be  no  reason  to  suppose  that  any  great  decrease  has  occurred.  On  an 
average,  it  requires  fifty  whales  to  fill  a  ship,  and  it  would  therefore  take 
about  five  thousand  whales  annually  to  supply  the  quantity  of  oil  that  is 
imported.  This  would  appear  but  a  small  proportionate  number,  if  these 
animals  were  as  prolific  as  our  herds  on  shore,  when  it  is  considered 
that  they  have  a  feeding  ground  of  twenty  millions  of  square  miles. 

"  The  number  of  right  whales  captured  is  to  the  spermaceti  in  the 
proportion  of  about  two  to  one.  The  former  are  principally  found  on  the 
coasts,  in  the  bays,  and  even  in  the  harbors,  and  are  far  more  numerous 
than  the  sperm  whale.  They  are  pursued  to  the  greatest  advantage  in 
small  vessels.  They  frequent  the  coast  of  Chili  during  the  summer  sea 
son,  from  October  to  March,  and  are  to  be  found  on  the  northwest  coast 
of  America  and  that  of  California  during  the  northern  summer,  or  from 


558  APPENDIX. 

March  to  November.  On  both  the  east  and  west  coast  of  New  Holland, 
as  well  as  on  that  of  New  Zealand,  they  are  abundant  from  September 
to  March,  in  the  bays  where  they  resort  to  calve.  This,  however,  they 
no  longer  do  without  molestation,  as  the  shores  are  now  oecupied  by  ex 
tensive  establishments  for  taking  them,  well  provided  with  boats.  On 
the  signal  from  the  look-out  the  boats  are  launched,  and  soon  in  hot  pur 
suit  of  the  game,  which,  when  killed,  is  towed  into  the  bay,  and  dragged 
on  shore,  where  it  is  cut  up  and  '  tryed  out.' 

"  There  are  few  places  which  surpass  these  localities  for  the  commis 
sion  of  all  kinds  of  vice ;  and  in  saying  this,  I  have  reference  as  well  to 
those  of  South  and  West  Australia  as  to  those  of  New  Zealand,  although 
the  latter  are  most  noted  for  their  enormities.  Some  merchants,  it  is 
said,  in  Sydney,  advance  the  capital  and  share  the  profits  with  those  who 
undertake  the  business.  The  latter  generally  engage  in  their  service  a 
large  number  of  natives  and  some  of  the  lowest  whites,  whom  they  allow 
to  indulge  in  "every  sort  of  vice,  so  long  as  they  can  make  use  of  them. 
Quarrels  often  take  place  between  the  parties  engaged  in  the  same  busi 
ness,  and  the  rivalry  not  unfrequently  leads  to  sharp  conflicts  and  blood 
shed. 

"  I  am  surprised  that  the  British  authorities  have  not  taken  cognizance 
of  the  outrageous  acts  that  are  constantly  taking  place  within  the  limits 
where  they  claim  authority.  One  of  these  acts  was  made  known  to  me 
after  my  arrival  at  the  Bay  of  Islands,  and  I  regretted  the  impossibility 
of  repairing  to  the  spot  to  demand  redress.  The  following  is  the  state 
ment  of  the  master,  officers,  and  crew : 

"  '  While  the  whale  ship  Adeline,  Thomas  Brown,  master,  was  lying  at 
Kapiti,  on  the  12th  of  December,  1839,  for  the  purpose  of  refitting  with 
wood  and  water,  at  about  2  P.M.,  as  the  third  officer  and  five  of  the  crew 
were  employed  in  towing  off  a  raft  of  water,  being  about  one  mile  from 
the  ship,  they  were  boarded  by  a  whale  boat,  having  a  crew  of  eight  Eu 
ropeans  and  one  New  Zealander,  under  one  James  Harrison,  as  heads 
man,  armed  with  pistols  and  knives  (being  a  part  of  the  persons  employed 
by  Raymond  and  Young),  who  forcibly  took  possession  of  the  boat,  and 
cut  off  the  raft,  threatening  instant  death  to  any  one  who  should  make 
resistance.  Having  thus  captured  the  boat,  they  at  once  made  sail,  and 
ran  for  their  establishment  on  the  shore,  about  six  miles  distant.  The 
captain,  on  perceiving  the  piratical  act,  at  once  followed  with  two  boats, 
but  did  not  succeed  in  overtaking  them  until  they  reached  the  shore  and 
had  hauled  the  captured  boat  upon  the  beach.  While  on  his  way  he  was 
pursued  by  another  boat,  which  kept  firing  at  him.  The  captured  boat 
was  surrounded  on  the  beach  by  from  thirty  to  forty  desperate-looking 
wretches,  more  or  less  armed.  Of  these  Harrison  became  the  spokes 
man,  declaring  that  they  had  taken  the  boat  and  meant  to  keep  it,  at  the 
risk  of  all  the  party's  lives,  to  which  they  all  signified  their  assent.  Cap 
tain  Brown  repeatedly  cautioned  them  against  such  acts  of  piracy  ;  but 
his  caution  was  received  with  curses  and  all  kinds  of  abuse,  and  finally 
a  pistol  was  presented,  with  the  declaration  that  he,  Harrison,  would 


APPENDIX.  559 

blow  out  the  brains  of  Captain  Brown  if  he  attempted  to  rescue  the 
boat.' 

"  Such  has  been  the  indiscriminate  manner  in  which  the  whales  have 
been  slaughtered,  both  old  and  young,  that  these  haunts  have  of  late 
years  been  less  frequented  by  them. 

"  The  right  whale  is  found  of  much  larger  size  in  high  latitudes  than  in 
low,  and  not  unfrequently  yields,  when  taken  in  these  latitudes,  as  much 
as  one  hundred  and  eighty  barrels  of  oil.  Besides  the  oil,  the  whalebone 
produces  some  profit.  A  large  number  of  these  whales  were  seen  by  us 
in  the  bays  about  Cape  Horn,  in  the  months  of  March  and  April ;  but 
the  weather  there  is  seldom  favorable  to  the  use  of  boats,  and  would,  of 
course,  preclude  success  in  carrying  on  such  a  business. 

"  On  soundings  and  in  shoal  water,  attempts  have  been  made  to  cap 
ture  a  different  species  of  whale,  called  the  humpback  (Gibbosa);  but 
there  is  a  great  impediment  to  the  securing  of  the  spoils  of  this  game  ; 
for,  when  killed,  they  immediately  sink  for  thirty  or  forty  hours.  It  there 
fore  becomes  necessary  either  to  anchor  a  boat  near  by,  to  watch  them, 
or  leave  a  buoy,  and  then,  not  unfrequently,  they  may  be  swept  off  by  the 
under  current,  or  lost  by  bad  weather. 

"Although  the  high  latitudes  offer  great  inducements,  on  account  of 
the  number  and  size  of  the  whales,  yet  there  are  many  difficulties  exist 
ing  that  render  it  preferable  to  pursue  the  game  in  the  low  latitudes. 
The  weather,  even  in  the  summer  season,  is  often  tempestuous,  which 
makes  it  dangerous  to  lower  the  boats  ;  and  there  are,  even  in  the  fine 
season,  fogs,  which  not  only  tantalize,  but  prevent  the  chase  from  being 
extended  to  any  distance  from  the  ship,  without  the  risk  of  losing  both 
boats  and  crew.  I  have  been  told  that  it  has  frequently  happened  that 
the  boats  have  been  separated  from  the  ship  for  several  days ;  thus  not 
only  producing  great  anxiety,  but  often  much  distress  from  want  of  pro 
visions  and  water.  Our  whalers  feel  that  there  is  quite  enough  of  ad 
venture  and  peril  in  following  their  employment  in  the  lower  latitudes. 

"  Notwithstanding  these  difficulties,  the  favorite  and  most  successful 
ground  for  the  right  whale  is  between  the  fiftieth  and  fifty-fifth  parallels 
of  north  latitude,  where  vast  numbers  have  been  recently  taken  in  June 
and  July,  of  great  size ;  although  the  season  is  of  short  duration,  yet 
large  ships  have  obtained  a  full  cargo  before  its  close. 

"  It  is  impossible  to  meet  a  whale  ship  on  the  ocean  without  being 
struck  by  her  mere  appearance.  The  vessel  under  short  sail,  with  look 
outs  at  the  mast-head,  eagerly  scanning  the  wide  expanse  around  them, 
has  a  totally  different  air  from  those  engaged  in  a  regular  voyage." 

[Here  follows  a  short  description  of  the  usual  manner  of  capturing 
whales,  cutting  them  in,  and  trying  out  their  blubber.  Having  described 
this  process  very  fully  in  the  foregoing  narrative,  it  is  hardly  necessary 
to  quote  any  thing  relating  to  the  same  subject.] 

"The  profits  of  the  whale  fishery  have  been  great,  and  show  what  in 
dustry  and  perseverance  can  yield  when  well  directed.  The  small  num 
ber  of  accidents  in  this  large  fleet  is  surprising  ;  for  the  total  losses  for 


560  APPENDIX. 

which  the  underwriters  have  to  pay  seldom  exceed  one  per  cent.,  and 
those  from  other  accidents  are  not  more  than  one  half  per  cent.  The 
insurance  seldom  exceeds  two  and  a  half  per  cent,  by  the  year,  and  at 
this  low  premium  the  underwriters  have  derived  good  dividends. 

"  Of  late  years  there  has  been  much  fluctuation  in  the  price  of  oil, 
which  has  caused  those  to  make  losing  voyages  who  returned  at  the  times 
of  its  depression  ;  but  at  the  steady  prices  of  eighty-five  cents  per  gallon 
for  sperm  oil,  and  thirty-five  cents  for  whale  oil,  voyages  would  generally 
yield  a  handsome  return. 

"  It  is  estimated  that  about  ten  per  cent,  of  the  ships  make  losing  voy 
ages,  as  well  from  the  incompetency  of  the  masters  as  from  accident  and 
ill-luck. 

"  The  greater  proportion  of  oil  finds  a  market  in  Germany,  Holland, 
and  Prussia;  consequently,  the  prices  abroad  control  those  at  home. 

"  I  have  stated  the  number  of  sperm  whales  that  are  taken  at  five 
thousand,  and  this  may  in  some  years  be  beyond  the  truth.  From  the  best 
authorities,  the  whole  of  both  species  annually  taken  is  about  ten  thou 
sand,  including  those  lost  from  accident,  and  those  cut  adrift,  in  conse 
quence  of  bad  weather  or  night.  These  losses  may  amount  to  eight  or 
ten  per  cent,  of  those  mortally  wounded.  It  is  said  that  an  equal  pro 
portion  of  bull  and  cow  whales  are  taken.  It  is,  however,  admitted  that 
the  latter  are  the  most  numerous  ;  and  the  probable  reason  for  the  equal 
ity  of  the  number  taken  may  be,  that  the  bull  whale,  being  the  largest, 
is  most  sought  after.  The  bull  whales  yield,  on  an  average,  from  thirty 
to  one  hundred  barrels  of  oil,  while  the  cows  seldom  exceed  forty-five 
barrels,  and  at  times  yield  no  more  than  five  barrels.  Bull  whales  are 
never  found  together  but  in  small  numbers,  while  the  cows  are  seen  in 
large  herds. 

"  The  right  whales  occupy  the  higher  latitudes  in  both  hemispheres, 
which  are  their  feeding  grounds.  As  the  winter  is  setting  in,  the  cows 
resort  to  the  bays  to  bring  forth  their  young,  where  they  remain  until  the 
spring  months,  when  they  again  resort  to  the  feeding  grounds  to  meet 
the  bulls.  It  is  not  known  where  the  latter  go  during  the  interval,  but 
it  is  generally  supposed  to  the  high  latitudes,  where  they  find  food  in 
greater  plenty. 

"  While  visiting  the  ports  for  the  purpose  of  recruiting,  the  crews  of 
whale  ships  are  often  found  in  a  state  of  lax  discipline ;  both  captains 
and  crew  take  this  opportunity  to  lay  their  complaints  before  the  consuls, 
who  are  much-  troubled  with  them,  and  frequently  at  a  loss  to  understand 
and  pass  upon- the  merits  of  the  case.  The  crews  usually  complain  of 
bad  provisions,  short  allowance,  and  bad  usage ;  in  some  cases,  I  have 
heard  them  assert  that  they  felt  their  lives  in  danger  from  the  outrageous 
conduct  of  the  captain  ;  and  in  one  instance  even  the  officers  joined  in 
the  complaint.  The  captain,  on  the  other  hand,  believed  that  there  was 
a  conspiracy  on  foot  to  poison  him. 

"  Many  Americans  are  found  on  the  different  islands,  who  have  been 
turned  ashore  from  whale  ships,  or  left  because  they  have  broken  their 


APPENDIX.  561 

liberty  a  single  time,  near  the  end  of  the  voyage.  Such  treatment  leaves 
too  much  ground  to  believe  that  they  are  purposely  left,  in  order  to  in 
crease  the  profits  of  the  shipmaster  or  owners.  Several  of  these  men 
were  received,  in  a  perfectly  destitute  condition,  on  board  the  Vincennes ; 
others  were  taken  out  of  prison,  and  all  related  many  of  the  difficulties 
and  troubles  they  had  to  encounter  on  board  the  ships  to  which  they  were 
attached  ;  although  I  am  not  generally  disposed  to  place  much  reliance 
on  their  statements,  yet  it  can  not  but  happen  that  out  of  so  many  cases 
there  must  be  some  in  which  the  seamen  are  in  the  right. 

"  It  is  difficult  to  suggest  any  remedy  for  this  state  of  things  by  legis 
lation.  The  law  passed  in  1837  has  had  a  beneficial  effect  in  protecting 
the  crews  against  a  short  supply  of  provisions  and  in  causing  them  to  be 
furnished  with  wholesome  food.  But  the  quantity  as  well  as  the  quality 
of  the  rations  ought  to  be  fixed  by  law,  that  any  one  who  is  restricted  in 
food  by  his  master  may  receive  an  equivalent  in  money. 

"  The  ration  has  hitherto  been  left  to  the  master  and  owner,  and  al 
though  it  is  the  true  interest  of  the  latter  that  the  crew  of  his  ship  should 
be  well  fed,  yet  there  are  many  who  think  and  practice  the  contrary. 
I  see  no  reason  why  there  should  not  be  a  lawful  ration  fixed,  as  well  in 
the  merchant  service  as  in  the  navy,  and  when  it  is  not  supplied  in  full, 
that  the  crew  shall  be  entitled  to  be  paid  for  the  deficiency  ;  it  then  could 
be  no  object  for  a  master  or  owner  to  stint  them.  I  have  generally  ob 
served  that  by  far  the  greater  part  of  the  complaints  arise  from  this 
cause,  and  when  the  master  is  in  part  owner  they  are  almost  invariably 
made. 

"  Another  cause  of  complaint  arises  from  the  practice  of  issuing  slops 
to  the  crews  instead  of  money,  and  giving  the  supply  of  these  to  the  mas 
ter  as  a  perquisite.  I  was  not  a  little  surprised  when  I  learned  that  this 
perquisite  had  amounted  to  eighteen  hundred  dollars  with  a,  crew  of 
about  thirty  men.  It,  in  fact,  sometimes  reaches  the  amount  of  between 
two  and  three  thousand  dollars  ;  and  it  will  naturally  excite  some  curi 
osity  to  know  how  so  large  a  nett  gain  could  accrue  from  sailors  whose 
ordinary  dress  is  but  a  pair  of  coarse  blue  trowsers  and  red  flannel  shirt. 
There  is,  however,  no  difficulty  in  the  explanation.  The  crew,  in  the 
first  place,  get  an  outfit  in  clothing  as  an  advance,  which  is  charged  to 
them  at  a  profit  of  one  hundred  per  cent. ;  they  then,  when  allowed  liber 
ty  on  shore,  are  obliged  to  draw  these  goods  or  clothing  in  lieu  of  money, 
and  can  not  exchange  them  on  shore  for  more  than  one  fourth  of  what 
they  are  charged  for  them.  In  this  way  a  debt  is  accumulated  against 
the  '  lay'  of  the  seamen,  until  he  finds,  before  the  end  of  the  voyage,  that 
the  whole  amount  that  ought  to  accrue  to  him  is  dissipated.  This  natu 
rally  leads  to  discontent  against  the  persons  whom  he  knows  or  believes 
to  be  the  authors  of  his  loss,  and  for  whose  gain  all  his  labors  have  gone. 
This  state  of  things  unavoidably  produces  difficulties  more  or  less  serious, 
according  to  the  number  of  the  crew  who  find  themselves  thus  circum 
stanced.  I  am  not  prepared  to  say  how  this  can  be  avoided,  but  I  am 
well  satisfied  it  would  be  for  the  interest  of  the  owners  to  reserve  this 

4B 


562  APPENDIX. 

supply  to  themselves,  and  charge  it  to  the  crew  at  such  an  advance  on  the 
cost  as  will  just  secure  themselves  from  loss.  By  doing  this,  they  would 
find  that  the  expenses  caused  by  detention,  and  the  many  vexations  and 
quarrels,  would  be  saved.  It  is  inconceivable  how  much  time  is  lost  in 
port  by  these  difficulties  between  the  master  and  crew. 

"  Many  difficulties  would  certainly  be  prevented  by  the  government 
sending  men-of-war  to  the  ports  at  the  time  they  are  frequented  by  the 
whalers,  not  only  to  support  the  authority  of  the  consuls  and  masters  of 
whalers,  but,  at  the  same  time,  to  protect  the  interests  of  the  crews.  I 
am  well  assured  that  the  presence  of  our  national  vessels  would,  in  a 
great  measure,  prevent  many  of  the  disturbances  that  are  constantly  oc 
curring  between  the  masters  and  crews,  among  the  crews  of  different  ves 
sels,  and  between  both  these  and  the  authorities  on  shore. 

"  It  is  due  to  the  large  interest  embarked  in  this  extended  fishery,  that 
the  government  should  protect  its  defenseless  ships  against  savage  at 
tacks,  and  have  a  force  at  hand  to  preserve  the  property  in  case  of  acci 
dent  or  wreck.  Two  of  our  vessels  of  war,  actively  engaged,  would  suf 
fice  to  afford  ample  protection  to  this  business,  by  being  kept  cruising  so 
as  to  reach  the  various  ports  at  the  proper  seasons.  In  this  way  they 
might  be  the  means  of  relieving  many  of  our  countrymen  from  distress 
ing  situations,  and  of  restoring  them  to  their  homes  in  safety.  A  knowl 
edge  among  the  whaling  fleet  that  their  interests  were  watched  over,  even 
if  they  made  no  calls  for  aid,  would  give  security  and  protect  them  from 
impositions,  as  well  as  prevent  them  from  practicing  fraud,  or  committing 
aggressions  on  the  natives  of  the  islands  they  visit.  Such  aggressions 
invariably  lead  to  retaliations  on  the  part  of  the  chiefs,  which  they  inflict 
on  the  first  unsuspecting  vessel  that  anchors  in  their  ports.  The  capture 
of  vessels  and  the  massacre  of  their  whole  crews  have  frequently  been 
owing  to  this  cause. 

"  It  would  also  be  the  means  of  securing  the  owners  against  losses ;  for 
it  scarcely  need  be  stated,  that,  in  the  event  of  accidents  that  would  be 
deemed  elsewhere  of  a  trivial  nature,  condemnation  frequently  ensues, 
and  a  total  sacrifice  of  property.  This  is  not  to  be  ascribed  to  any  want 
of  vigilance,  or  to  connivance  on  the  part  of  our  consuls  or  the  public  au 
thorities  ;  but  it  arises  from  the  desire,  on  the  part  of  the  whole  commu 
nity,  to  derive  profit  out  of  accident.  A  visit  of  a  man-of-war,  or  the 
feeling  that  one  was  or  would  be  at  hand  to  afford  succor  and  relieve  dis 
tress,  would  have  a  tendency  to  remove  these  evils. 

"  The  difficulties  to  which  the  whaling  fleet  is  exposed  are  often  aggra 
vated  by  the  position  of  our  consuls  ;  for  if  engaged  in  trade,  as  they  al 
most  always  are,  they  lose  that  influence  and  standing  with  the  authori 
ties  which  they  otherwise  would  have,  whether  civilized  or  savage,  as 
well  as  with  their  own  countrymen. 

"  The  whole  system  is  wrong  ;  those  appointed  to  such  stations  should 
not  be  suffered  to  engage  in  trade,  but  should  receive  a  salary  adequate 
to  their  support.  This  would  place  them  in  d  situation  to  assert  our 
rights,  prevent  the  difficulties  now  of  daily  occurrence,  and  enable  the 


APPENDIX.  563 

consuls  to  maintain  the  high  standing  they  ought  to  hold  in  foreign 
ports. 

"  The  crews  of  whale  ships  are  much  more  prone  to  scurvy  than  I  had 
any  idea  of.  During  our  stay  at  Oahu  several  ships  arrived  more  or  less 
affected  with  this  horrible  disorder,  which  arose  from  various  causes. 
My  inquiries  satisfied  me  it  was  in  most  cases  to  be  imputed  to  the  long 
period  passed  at  sea,  aggravated  by  the  despondency  arising  from  want 
of  success.  In  one  case  in  particular,  the  captain  had  stopped  at  some 
islands  for  fruit  and  provisions,  of  which  he  had  received  an  ample  sup- 
•ply,  and,  concluding  that  his  crew  would  recover,  he  continued  to  cruise 
until  he  finally  reached  Oahu  with  no  more  than  three  men  fit  for  duty. 
Several  of  his  men  had  died,  and  the  rest  were  in  a  very  precarious  state. 
This,  in  my  mind,  is  a  sufficient  proof  that  it  is  absolutely  necessary  not 
only  to  give  the  crew  occasional  relaxation,  but  a  change  of  employment, 
and  additional  hours  of  rest ;  it  also  shows  that  fresh  provisions  are  not 
alone  a  sufficient  preventive  against,  or  cure  for,  the  scurvy.  A  change 
of  diet  must  be  accompanied  by  a  change  of  scene,  and  cleanliness.  To 
a  strict  attention  to  these  circumstances,  and  care  in  promoting  cheer 
fulness,  I  impute  the  remarkable  freedom  from  disease  enjoyed  in  the 
squadron  during  the  whole  cruise.  Feeling  constantly  that  on  the  health 
and  good  condition  of  my  men  every  thing  depended,  I  lost  no  opportunity 
of  encouraging  amusements,  and  particularly  of  enjoining  attention  to 
cleanliness. 

"  I  would  strongly  urge  upon  the  owners  of  whale  ships  the  necessity 
of  the  assignment  of  a  larger  and  more  airy  apartment  to  the  crew.  The 
usual  accommodation  in  the  forecastle  of  a  ship  is  in  every  respect  un 
fitted  to  preserve  either  cleanliness  or  comfort.  There  is,  perhaps,  more 
room  for  improvement  in  this  respect  than  in  any  other  that  can  engage 
the  attention  of  the  owners  of  ships.  While  they  are  lavishing  every 
sort  of  expense  on  the  cabins  and  saloons,  and  receiving  the  meed  of 
praise  from  the  civilized  world  for  the  costliness  and  beauty  of  the  deco 
rations,  I  would  ask  them  to  bestow  some  small  attention  and  expendi 
ture  to  increase  the  comforts  of  the  common  sailor,  by  whose  aid  alone 
their  business  can  be  carried  on. 

"Among  the  masters  of  whale  ships  whom  it  has  been  my  good  for 
tune  to  fall  in  with  were  many  intelligent  persons,  from  whom  I  have 
derived  much  pleasure  and  information  in  my  intercourse  with  them.  As 
a  class,  they  bear  a  high  character  ;  but  there  are  some,  I  regret  to  say, 
whose  actions  only  tend  to  bring  disgrace  on  themselves  and  the  pursuit 
they  follow.  I  shall  not  dwell  upon  such  a  disagreeable  topic,  trusting 
that  time  and  good  example  will  meliorate  the  evil. 

"  There  is  one  entreaty  I  would  urge  upon  all  those  who  are  engaged 
in  the  whale  and  biche  de  mer  fishery  :  namely,  that,  in  their  intercourse 
with  the  natives  of  the  South  Seas,  they  would  treat  them  with  justice 
and  honesty.  By  so  doing,  I  am  satisfied  that,  however  much  they  may 
be  exposed  to  dangers,  they  will  escape  without  harm.  I  would  not, 
however,  be  understood  to  say  that  they  should  relax  any  thing  in  watch- 


564  APPENDIX. 

fulness  against  treachery ;  but  while  this  is  attended  to,  all  harsh  treat 
ment  to  the  natives  should  be  avoided. 

"  Above  every  thing,  a  strict  morality  should  be  preserved  on  board, 
both  by  precept  and  example,  and  none  should  believe  themselves  be 
yond  the  eye  of  those  whose  respect  they  value  at  home.  I  am  well  as 
sured  that  under  such  auspices  the  arrival  of  a  whale  ship  would  be 
hailed  with  delight  in  the  ports  it  may  visit,  instead  of  being  often  looked 
upon,  as  it  now  is,  as  a  blight  upon  a  dawning  civilization.  On  no  con 
sideration  should  the  debt  to  those  pioneers  of  civilization,  the  missiona 
ries,  be  forgotten  ;  for  they  have  already,  in  very  many  parts,  by  their  ex 
ample  and  instruction,  been  the  means  of  saving  many  of  our  country 
men  and  shipmates  from  cruel  captivity  and  horrible  death. 

"Before  closing  this  chapter,  I  would  also  say  a  word  to  the  first  plan 
ners  and  promoters  of  foreign  missions  in  the  South  Seas,  entreating  them 
to  turn  their  attention  to  the  morals  of  those  who  follow  the  sea,  and  the 
improvement  of  their  condition.  Our  ships  might,  by  proper  exertions 
at  home,  be  soon  made  to  carry  on  every  breeze  to  the  ports  and  islands 
of  the  Pacific,  such  an  example  as  would  promote  the  great  cause  of  mo 
rality,  religion,  and  temperance.  Of  one  truth  I  am  satisfied,  that  if  one 
tenth  of  the  sums  and  attention  now  expended  in  other  ways  were  ap 
plied  to  improving  the  condition  of  sailors,  elevating  them  in  their  cir 
cumstances,  both  at  sea  and  on  shore,  it  would  produce  in  a  short  time 
the  most  desirable  results  ;  and  instead  of  our  '  tars'  being  considered,  as 
they  now  frequently  are,  worthless  reprobates,  opposed  to  every  thing  that 
is  sacred,  they  will  be  found  a  band  of  industrious  advocates  in  the  cause 
of  civilization.  Until  this  class  of  men  is  brought  up  to  a  respectable 
standing,  the  cause  to  which  so  much  exertion  has  been  applied,  so  much 
talent  and  perseverance  have  been  sacrificed,  and  which  now  claims  so 
much  of  the  interest  and  attention  of  the  civilized  world,  can  never  per 
manently  prosper. 

"  The  field  for  improvement  is  wide,  and  those  who  first  labor  in  it 
must  reap  a  satisfactory  harvest.  To  none  does  it  more  appertain  to  take 
the  first  step,  and  push  earnestly  onward,  than  the  owners  of  our  mer 
cantile  marine,  and  of  our  whaling  fleet  in  particular." 


THE  SPERM  WHALE  (MacrocephalusJ. 

Beale  gives  the  following  description  of  the-external  form  of  this  whale  : 
"  The  head  of  the  sperm  whale  presents  in  front  a  very  thick,  blunt 
extremity,  called  the  snout,  or  nose,  and  constitutes  about  one  third  of 
the  whole  length  of  the  animal ;  at  its  junction  with  the  body  is  a  large 
protuberance  on  the  back,  called  by  the  whalers  the  '  bunch  of  the  neck  ;' 
immediately  behind  this,  or  at  what  might  be  termed  the  shoulder,  is  the 
thickest  part  of  the  body,  which  from  this  point  gradually  tapers  off  to  the 
tail,  but  it  does  not  become  much  smaller  for  about  another  third  of  the 
whole  length,  when  the  '  small,'  as  it  is  called,  or  tail,  commences ;  and 


APPENDIX.  565 

on  this  point  also,  on  the  back,  is  a  large  prominence  of  a  pyramidal 
form,  called  the  '  hump,'  from  which  a  series  of  smaller  processes  run 
half  way  down  the  '  small,'  or  tail,  constituting  what  is  called  by  whalers 
the  '  ridge.'  The  body  then  contracts  so  much  as  to  become,  finally,  not 
thicker  than  the  body  of  a  man,  and  terminates  by  becoming  expanded 
on  the  sides  into  the  '  flukes,'  or  tail,  properly  speaking.  The  two  flukes 
constitute  a  large  triangular  fin,  resembling,  in  some  respects,  the  tails 
of  fishes,  but  differing  in  being  placed  horizontally.  There  is  a  slight 
notch  or  depression  between  the  flukes  posteriorly ;  they  are  about  six 
or  eight  feet  in  length,  and  from  twelve  to  fourteen  in  breadth  in  the 
largest  males.  The  chest  and  belly  are  narrower  than  the  broadest  part 
of  the  back,  and  taper  off  evenly  and  beautifully  toward  the  tail,  giving 
what  by  sailors  is  termed  a  '  clear  run.'  The  depth  of  the  head  and  body 
is,  in  all  parts  except  the  tail,  greater  than  the  width.  The  head,  view 
ed  in  front,  presents  a  broad,  somewhat  flattened  surface,  rounded  and 
contracted  above,  considerably  expanded  on  the  sides,  and  gradually  con 
tracted  below,  so  as  in  some  degree  to  resemble  the  cutwater  of  a  ship. 

"  At  the  angle  formed  by  the  anterior  and  superior  surfaces,  o-n  the  left 
side,  is  placed  the  single  blowing  hole  or  nostril,  which  in  the  dead  ani 
mal  presents  the  appearance  of  a  slit  or  fissure,  in  form  resembling  an  /, 
extending  longitudinally,  and  about  twelve  inches  in  length. 

"  This  nostril,  however,  is  surrounded  by  several  muscles,  which,  in 
the  living  state,  are  for  the  purpose  of  modifying  its  shape  and  dimen 
sions,  according  to  the  necessities  of  respiration,  similar  to  those  which 
act  upon  the  nostrils  of  land  animals. 

"  In  the  right  side  of  the  nose  and  upper  surface  of  the  head  is  a  large, 
almost  triangular-shaped  cavity,  called  by  whalers  the  '  case,'  which  is 
lined  with  a  beautiful  glistening  membrane  and  covered  by  a  thick  layer 
of  muscular  fibers  and  small  tendons,  running  in  various  directions,  and 
finally  united  by  common  integuments.  This  cavity  is  for  the  purpose 
of  secreting  and  containing  a  small,  oily  fluid,  which,  after  death,  con 
cretes  into  a  granulated  substance  of  a  yellowish  color,  the  spermaceti. 
The  size  of  the  case  may  be  estimated  when  it  is  stated  that,  in  a  large 
whale,  it  not  unfrequently  contains  a  ton,  or  more  than  ten  large  barrels 
of  spermaceti. 

"  Beneath  the  case  and  nostril,  and  projecting  beyond  the  lower  jaw, 
is  a  thick  mass  of  elastic  substance  called  the  'junk  ;'  it  is  formed  of  a 
dense  cellular  tissue,  strengthened  by  numerous  strong  tendinous  fibers, 
and  infiltrated  with  very  fine  sperm  oil  and  spermaceti. 

"  The  mouth  extends  nearly  the  whole  length  of  the  head.  Both  the 
jaws,  but  especially  the  lower,  are  in  front  contracted  to  a  very  narrow 
point,  and  when  the  mouth  is  closed  the  lower  jaw  is  received  within  a 
sort  of  cartilaginous  lip  or  projection  of  the  upper  one,  but  principally  in 
front ;  for  farther  back,  at  the  sides  and  toward  the  angle  of  the  mouth, 
both-  jaws  are  furnished  with  tolerably  well-developed  lips.  In  the  lower 
jaw  are  forty-two  teeth  of  a  formidable  size,  but  conical  shape ;  there 
are  none,  however,  in  the  upper,  which  instead  presents  depressions  cor- 


566  APPENDIX. 

responding  to,  and  for  the  reception  of,  the  points  of  those  in  the  lower 
jaw ;  sometimes,  however,  a  few  rudimentary  teeth  may  be  found  situ 
ated  in  the  upper  jaw,  but  never  projecting  beyond  the  gums,  and  upon 
which  those  in  the  lower  jaw  strike  when  the  mouth  is  closed. 

"  The  tongue  is  small,  of  a  white  color,  and  does  not  appear  to  possess 
the  power  of  very  extended  motion. 

"  The  throat  is  capacious  enough  to  give  passage  to  the  body  of  a  man  ; 
in  this  respect  presenting  a  strong  contrast  with  the  contracted  gullet  of 
the  Greenland  whale. 

"  The  mouth  is  lined  throughout  with  a  pearly  white  membrane,  which 
becomes  continuous  at  the  lips  and  borders  with  the  common  integument, 
where  it  becomes  of  a  dark  brown  or  black  cdlor. 

"  The  eyes  are  small  in  comparison  with  the  size  of  the  animal,  and  are 
furnished  with  eyelids,  the  lower  of  which  is  the  more  movable :  they 
are  placed  a  little  above  and  behind  the  angle  of  the  mouth,  at  the  widest 
part  of  the  head.  At  a  short  distance  behind  the  eyes  are  the  external 
openings  of  the  ear,  of  size  sufficient  to  admit  a  small  quill,  and  unpro 
vided  with  any  external  auricular  appendage. 

"  Behind,  and  not  far  from  the  posterior  angle  of  the  mouth,  are  placed 
the  swimming  paws,  or  fins,  which  are  analogous  in  their  formation  to 
the  anterior  extremities  of  other  animals,  or  the  arms  of  man  ;  they  are 
not  much  used  as  instruments  of  progression,  but  probably  in  giving  a 
direction  to  that  motion,  in  balancing  the  body  in  sinking  suddenly,  and 
occasionally  in  supporting  their  young. 

"  In  a  full-grown  male  sperm  whale  of  the  largest  size,  or  about  eighty- 
four  feet  in  length,  the  dimensions  may  be  given  as  follows  :  depth  of  the 
head,  from  eight  to  nine  feet ;  breadth,  from  five  to  six  feet ;  depth  of 
body  seldom  exceeds  twelve  or  fourteen  feet,  so  that  the  circumference 
of  the  largest  sperm  whale  of  eighty  or  eighty-four  feet  will  seldom  ex 
ceed  thirty-six  feet ;  the  swimming  paws,  or  fins,  are  about  six  feet  long 
and  three  broad  ;  the  dimensions  of  the  flukes,  or  tail,  have  been  previous 
ly  mentioned. 

"  In  reviewing  this  description  of  the  external  form  and  some  of  the 
organs  of  the  sperm  whale,  it  will,  perhaps,  not  be  uninteresting  if  some 
comparison  is  instituted  between  them  and  the  corresponding  points  of 
the  Greenland  whale.  In  doing  this,  the  remarkable  adaptation  of  forms 
and  parts  to  different  habits,  situation,  and  food,  will  not  fail  to  strike 
every  one  with  admiration. 

"  One  of  the  peculiarities  of  the  sperm  whale,  which  strikes  at  first 
sight  every  beholder,  is  the  apparently  disproportionate  and  unwieldy 
bulk  of  the  head  ;  but  this  peculiarity,  instead  of  being,  as  might  be  sup 
posed,  an  impediment  to  the  freedom  of  the  animal's  motion  in  his  na 
tive  element,  is  in  fact,  on  the  contrary,  in  some  respects  very  conduc 
ive  to  his  lightness  and  agility,  if  such  a  term  can  with  propriety  be  ap 
plied  to  such  an  enormous  creature  ;  for  a  great  part  of  the  bulk  of  the 
head  is  made  up  of  a  large,  thin,  membranous  case,  containing  during 
life  a  thin  oil  of  much  less  specific  gravity  than  water ;  below  which, 


APPENDIX.  567 

again,  is  the  junk,  which,  although  heavier  than  the  spermaceti,  is  still 
lighter  than  the  element  in  which  the  whale  moves  ;  consequently,  the 
head,  taken  as  a  whole,  is  lighter  specifically  than  any  other  part  of  the 
body,  and  will  always  have  a  tendency  to  rise  at  least  so  far  above  the 
surface  as  to  elevate  the  nostril,  or  '  blow-hole,'  sufficiently  for  all  pur 
poses  of  respiration  ;  and  more  than  this,  a  very  slight  effort  on  the  part 
of  the  fish  would  only  be  necessary  to  raise  the  whole  of  the  anterior  flat 
surface  of  the  nose  out  of  the  water ;  in  case  the  animal  should  wish  to 
increase  his  speed  to  the  utmost,  the  narrow  inferior  surface,  which  has 
been  before  stated  to  bear  some  resemblance  to  the  cutwater  of  a  ship, 
and  which  would,  in  fact,  answer  the  same  purpose  to  the  whale,  would 
be  the  only  part  exposed  to  the  pressure  of  the  water  in  front,  enabling 
him  thus  to  pass  with  the  greatest  celerity  and  ease  through  the  bound 
less  track  of  his  wide  domain. 

"  It  is  in  this  shape  of  the  head  that  the  sperm  whale  differs  in  the  most 
remarkable  degree  from  the  Greenland  whale,  the  shape  of  whose  head 
more  resembles  that  of  the  porpoise,  and  in  it  the  nostril  is  situated  much 
farther  back,  rendering  it  seldom  or  never  necessary  for  the  nose  to  be 
elevated  above  the  surface  of  the  water ;  and  when  swimming  even  at 
the  greatest  speed,  the  Greenland  whale  keeps  nearly  the  whole  of  the 
head  under  it ;  but  as  his  head  tapers  off  evenly  in  front,  this  circumstance 
does  not  much  impede  his  motion,  the  rate  of  which  is,  however,  never 
equal  to  that  of  the  greatest  rate  of  the  sperm  whale. 

"  It  seems,  indeed,  in  point  of  fact,  that  this  purpose  of  rendering  the 
head  of  light  specific  gravity  is  the  only  use  of  this  mass  of  oil  and  sper 
maceti,  although  some  have  supposed,  and  not  without  some  degree  of 
probability,  that  the  'junk'  especially  may  be  serviceable  in  obviating 
the  injurious  effects  of  concussion,  should  the  whale  happen  to  meet 
with  any  obstacle  when  in  full  career.  This  supposition,  however,  would 
appear  hardly  tenable,  when  we  consider  the  Greenland  whale,  although 
living  among  the  rock-like  icebergs  of  the  Arctic  Seas,  has  no  such  con 
venient  provision,  and  with  senses  probably  in  all,  and  certainly  in  one 
respect  less  acute  than  those  of  the  sperm  whale,  on  which  account  it 
would  seem  requisite  for  him  to  possess  this  defense  rather  than  the  sperm 
whale,  whose  habitation  is,  for  the  most  part,  in  the  smiling  latitude  of 
the  Southern  Seas.  Considering  the  habits  and  mode  of  feeding,  and  the 
superior  activity  and  apparent  intelligence  of  the  sperm  whale,  we  shall 
be  prepared  to  expect  that  he  must  possess  a  corresponding  superiority  in 
external  senses  ;  and  we  accordingly  find  that  he  enjoys  a  more  perfect  or 
gan  of  hearing,  in  having  an  external  opening  of  considerable  size  for  the 
purpose  of  conveying  sounds  to  the  internal  ear  more  readily  and  acutely 
than  could  be  done  through  the  dense  and  thick  integument  which  is  con 
tinued  over  the  auricular  opening  in  the  northern  whale. 

"  Although  the  eyes  in  both  animals  are  very  small  in  comparison  with 
their  bulk,  yet  it  is  remarked  that  they  are  tolerably  quick-sighted.  I  am 
not  aware  that  the  sperm  whale  possesses,  in  this  respect,  any  superi 
ority. 


568  APPENDIX. 

"  Passing  to  the  mouth,  we  again  observe  a  very,  remarkable  difference 
in  the  conformation  of  the  two  animals  ;  as  in  place  of  the  enormous 
plates  of  whalebone  which  are  found  attached  to  the  upper  jaw  of  the 
Greenland  whale,  we  in  the  sperm  whale  only  find  depressions  for  the 
reception  of  the  teeth  of  the  lower  jaw  ;  organs  which  again  are  totally 
wanting  in  the  other.  Corresponding  with  these  distinctions,  which 
plainly  point  out  that  the  food  of  the  two  whales  must  be  very  different, 
we  find  a  remarkable  difference  in  the  size  of  the  gullet. 

"  The  several  lumps  or  ridges  on  the  back  of  the  sperm  whale  consti 
tute  another  difference  in  their  external  aspect ;  these  prominences  are, 
however,  not  altogether  peculiar  to  the  sperm  whale,  as  that  which  is 
called  by  whalers  the  '  humpback'  possesses  a  prominence  on  the  back 
not  very  dissimilar  to  that  of  the  sperm  whale,  which  has  been  noticed  be 
fore,  in  the  introductory  remarks,  and  which  induced  Saccapede  to  divide 
the  genus  Balaena  into  those  with  a  hump  and  those  without ;  employ 
ing  the  name  Baleena  for  the  latter,  and  styling  the  others  Balaenoptera. 

"  I  have  before  adverted  to  the  sharp  cutwater-like  conformation  of  the 
under  part  of  the. head  in  the  sperm  whale,  and  it  is  worthy  of  remark 
that  the  same  part  of  the  Greenland  whale  is  nearly,  if  not  altogether  flat. 

"  The  skin  of  the  sperm  whale,  as  of  all  other  cetaceous  animals,  is 
without  scales,  smooth,  but  occasionally,  in  old  whales,  wrinkled  and  fre 
quently  marked  on  the  sides  by  linear  impressions,  appearing  as  if  rubbed 
against  some  angular  body.  The  color  of  the  skin,  over  the  greatest 
part  of  its  extent,  is  very  dark ;  most  so  on  the  upper  part  of  the  head, 
the  back,  and  on  the  flukes,  in  which  situation  it  is,  in  fact,  sometimes 
black  ;  on  the  sides  it  gradually  assumes  a  lighter  tint,  till  on  the  breast 
it  becomes  silvery  gray. 

"  In  different  individuals  there  is,  however,  considerable  variety  of 
shade,  and  some  are  even  piebald.  Old  '  bulls,'  as  full-grown  whales  are 
called  by  whalers,  have  generally  a  portion  of  gray  on  the  nose,  imme 
diately  above  the  fore  part  of  the  upper  jaw,  and  they  are  then  said  to  be 
'gray-headed.' 

"  In  young  whales,  the  '  black  skin,'  as  it  is  called,  is  about  three  eighths 
of  an  inch  thick,  but  in  old  ones  it  is  not  more  than  one  eighth. 

"  Immediately  beneath  the  black  skin  is  the  blubber  or  fat,  which  is 
contained  in  a  cellular  membrane,  and  which  is  much  strengthened  by  nu 
merous  interlacements  of  ligamentous  fibers,  which  has  induced  Profess 
or  Jacob  to  consider  the  whole  thickness  of  the  blubber  to  be  the  cutis 
vera,  or  true  skin,  infiltrated  with  oil  or  fatty  matters.  Its  thickness  on 
the  breast  of  a  large  whale  is  about  fourteen  inches,  and  on  most  other 
parts  of  the  body  it  measures  from  eight  to  eleven  inches.  The  head  is 
not,  however,  supplied  with  this  covering,  having  only  the  black  skin,  or 
cutis,  which  lies  close  to  a  layer  of  very  dense  cellular  tissue,  under  which 
is  seen  a  considerable  thickness  of  numerous  small  tendons,  intermixed 
with  muscular  fibers. 

"  This  is  more  especially  observed  on  the  top  and  upper  third  of  the 
head  surrounding  the  case,  as  lower  down  we  find  the  black  skin  lying 
close  to  the  peculiar  structure  of  the  junk. 


APPENDIX.  569 

11  This  thick  covering  of  skin,  blubber,  or  fat,  is  called  by  South  Sea 
whalers  the  '  blanket.'  It  is  of  a  light  yellowish  color,  and,  when  melted 
down,  furnishes  the  sperm  oil.  It  also  serves  two  excellent  purposes  to 
the  whale,  in  rendering  it  buoyant,  and  in  furnishing  it  with  a  warm  pro 
tection  from  the  coldness  of  the  surrounding  element ;  in  this  last  respect 
answering  well  to  the  name  bestowed  upon  it  by  the  sailors." 

In  addition  to  the  above  faithful  description  of  the  sperm  whale,  I  give 
a  single  quotation  more,  which  refers  to  a  point  upon  which  there  seems 
to  be  a  great  diversity-of  opinion.  Beale,  with  his  usual  sagacity,  sees 
the  error  and  corrects  it.  I  am  surprised  that  his  work  has  never  been 
republished  in  this  country,  for  it  certainly  contains  a  great  variety  of 
useful  and  correct  information  concerning  the  whale  tribe. 

"  I  can  only  say,  when  I  find  myself  again  in  opposition  to  those  old 
and  received  notions,  that,  out  of  the  thousands  of  sperm  whales  which 
I  have  seen  during  my  wanderings  in  the  South  and  North  Pacific  Oceans, 
I  have  never  observed  one  of  them  to  eject  a  column  of  water  from  the 
nostril.  I  have  seen  them  at  a  distance,  and  I  have  been  within  a  few 
yards  of  several  hundreds  of  them,  and  I  never  saw  water  pass  from  the 
spout-hole.  But  the  column  of  thick  and  dense  vapor  which  is  certainly 
ejected  is  exceedingly  likely  to  mislead  the  judgment  of  the  casual  ob 
server  in  these  matters  ;  and  this  column  does,  indeed,  appear  very  much 
like  a  jet  of  water,  when  seen  at  the  distance  of  one  or  two  miles,  on  a 
clear  day,  because  of  the  condensation  of  the  vapor  which  takes  place 
the  moment  it  escapes  from  the  nostril,  and  its  consequent  opacity,  which 
makes  it  appear  of  a  white  color,  and  which  is  not  observed  when  the 
whale  is  close  to  the  spectator,  and  it  then  appears  only  like  a  jet  of 
white  steam  ;  the  only  water  in  addition  is  the  small  quantity  that  may 
be  lodged  in  the  external  fissure  of  the  spout-hole,  when  the  animal  rais 
es  it  above  the  surface  to  breathe,  and  which  is  blown  up  into  the  air 
with  the  spout,  and  may  probably  assist  in  condensing  the  vapor  of  which 
it  is  formed." 

"  The  humpbacked  whale,  which  is  well  known  to  whalers,  possesses,  like 
the  Greenland  whale,  the  baleen,  and  spouts  from  the  top  of  the  head,  yet 
has  a  hump  not  very  dissimilar  to  that  of  the  sperm  whale."  .  .  "  So  that 
they  resemble  each  other  in  some  respects,  and  differ  so  widely  in  other 
parts  of  their  formation,  and  also  in  their  habits,  that  they  each  neces 
sarily  belong  to  distinct  classes  of  beings,  and  convince  me  that  they  can 
not  properly  be  arranged  in  families,  from  the  form  or  situation  of  their 
fins,  humps,  teeth,  or  baleen. 

"  Food. — The  food  of  the  sperm  whale  consists  almost  wholly  of  an 
animal  of  the  cuttle-fish  kind,  called  by  sailors  the  '  squid,'  and  by  natu 
ralists  the  '  sepia  octopus.'  This  squid,  or  sepia,  at  least  forms  the  prin 
cipal  part  of  his  sustenance  when  at  a  distance  from  shore,  or  what  is 
termed  'offshore  ground  ;'  but  when  met  with  nearer  land,  he  has  been 
known,  when  mortally  or  severely  wounded,  to  eject  from  his  stomach 
quantities  of  small  fish,  which  are  met  with  in  great  abundance  in  the 
bays  and  somewhat  near  the  shore.  These  fish,  it  is  supposed,  are  at- 

4C     • 


570  APPENDIX. 

tracted  into  the  whale's  mouth  by  the  white  and  glistening  appearance  of 
the  roof  and  teeth  ;  and  when  a  sufficient  number  are  within  the  mouth, 
he  rapidly  closes  his  jaws  and  swallows  the  contents.  It  seems  to  be 
well  established  that  the  whale  does  not  pursue  its  prey. 

"  The  octopus  (or  squid),  which  was  the  animal  denominated  polypus 
by  Aristotle,  has  eight  arms  of  equal  length,  and  contains  hi  its  interior 
two  very  small  rudimentary  shells,  formed  by  the  inner  surface  of  the 
mantle."  Its  texture  is  fibrous,  and  it  has  eight  arms,  with  which  it 
twines  round  objects  of  any  shape.  Its  external  appearance  is  pellucid, 
somewhat  resembling  jelly,  and  it  is  said  to  measure  occasionally  thirty 
feet  between  the  most  remote  extremities,  but  there  is  a  great  difference 
in  the  size,  some  being  very  large,  and  others  very  minute  and  even  mi 
croscopic.  Touching  this  subject  and  its  connection  with  the  migratory 
habits  of  the  sperm  whale,  Lieutenant  Wilkes,  of  the  United  States  Ex 
ploring  Expedition,  says  : 

"  It  is  well  known  to  whalers  that  the  favorite  and  appropriate  food  of 
the  sperm  whale  is  a  gelatinous  medusa  ;  which,  however,  has  not  as  yet 
received  from  naturalists  much  attention.  It  may,  however,  be  advanced 
as  certain  that  this  molluscous  animal  most  abounds  in  the  higher  latitudes 
of  both  hemispheres,  which  would  therefore  seem  to  be  the  places  in  which 
it  is  produced,  and  to  which  its  habits  are  best  adapted.*  During  our 
cruise  in  the  higher  southern  latitudes,  we  saw  vast  numbers  of  these 
medusae,  around  and  near  the  icebergs.  The  quantity  was  such  as  to 
prove  conclusively  that  it  was  in  the  waters  of  the  temperature  caused 
by  the  vicinity  of  these  masses  of  ice  that  they  delight  to  dwell.  Whales 
were  also  in  abundance,  and  although  principally  of  the  fin-back  species, 
sperm  whales  were  not  entirely  wanting. 

"  As  regards  the  medusa,  its  powers  of  locomotion  are  feeble,  and  con 
fined  chiefly  to  the  purpose  of  rising  and  sinking  at  pleasure.  If  polar 
currents  exist,  it  must,  therefore,  be  swept  by  them  from  the  place  of  its 
nativity,  and  in  its  passage  to  lower  latitudes  will,  by  its  locomotive  pow 
er,  seek  strata  in  the  water  of  the  low  temperature  to  which  its  consti 
tution  is  best  adapted.  My  attention  was  drawn  to  the  habits  of  the 
whales  here  in  particular,  from  the  novel  manner  they  exhibited  of  feed 
ing  near  the  surface,  instead  of  diving  lower  down,  as  they  are  usually 
seen  to  do  in  lower  latitudes :  they  were  constantly  in  sight,  instead  of 
being  only  seen  at  intervals. 

"  It  will  be  readily  admitted  that  the  medusa,  like  other  animals,  has  its 
appropriate  seasons  of  procreation,  and  it  will  appear  probable  that  the 
season  at  which  we  saw  them  in  such  numbers  was  that  in  which  they 
are  brought  forth  most  abundantly.  So,  also,  however  low  the  temper 
ature  of  the  water  in  which  they  delight,  there  is  little  probability  that 
their  increase  goes  forward  when  the  regions  in' which  we  met  them  are 
locked  up  in  ice,  and  the  genial  light  and  warmth  of  the  sun  is  denied  them. 

"  The  food  of  the  sperm  whale  will,  therefore,  be  borne  off  to  lower  lat- 

*  "  Innumerable  animalcules,  the  appropriate  food  of  the  right  whale,  are  also  found  there, 
as  has  been  seen  from  our  own  observations  at  the  South,  and  those  of  Scoresby  at  the  North." 


APPENDIX.  571 

itudes  by  the  polar  streams  in  greater  abundance  at  one  season  than  an 
other,  and  this  former  season  corresponds  with  that  in  which  these  cur 
rents  have  their  greatest  force.  The  sperm  whale,  it  must  be  expected, 
will  leave  the  higher  latitudes,  and  follow  the  currents  which  transport 
his  food. 

"  In  conformity  with  this  view,  we  find  the  habits  of  the  sperm  whale 
migratory.  The  polar  currents,  as  has  been  seen,  disappear  from  the 
surface  in  many  cases,  but  do  not  cease  to  flow ;  and  even  when  felt 
both  at  the  surface  and  below,  they  will,  in  approaching  lower  latitudes, 
have  their  higher  temperatures  near  the  surface.  The  medusae  will, 
therefore,  descend  in  either  case  to  greater  depths,  and  the  whale  must 
dive  in  quest  of  the  food  which,  in  higher  latitudes,  he  could  find  at  the 
surface.  We  have  seen  in  what  a  decided  manner  the  polar  currents 
become  or  continue  superficial  at  the  southern  promontories  of  the  con 
tinents.  A  similar  cause,  operating  to  a  less  extent,  raises  them,  if  sub 
marine,  when  they  are  interrupted  or  impeded  by  islands,  and  spreads 
water  of  low  temperature  over  the  surface.  Here,  then,  at  the  proper 
season,  the  food  of  the  whale  will  be  not  only  accessible,  but  more  abund 
ant  within  a  given  space,  in  consequence  of  the  check  the  velocity  of 
the  stream  must  experience. 

"  So,  also,  in  the  zones  of  calms,  we  have  seen  that  the  matter  borne 
by  the  polar  currents  in  all  probability  finds  a  resting-place ;  and  here, 
also,  at  fit  seasons,  the  food  of  the  whale  must  be  abundant.  Points 
possessing  either  of  these  characteristics  I  have  distinguished,  as  before 
stated,  by  the  name  of  nuclei. 

"  However  satisfactory  this  theory  may  be  in  explaining  the  causes  of 
the  migratory  habits  of  the  sperm  whale,  it  is  obvious  that  we  do  not 
know  enough  of  the  natural  history  of  his  favorite  food,  nor  of  the  rate 
and  course  of  all  the  submarine  polar  currents,  to  enable  us  to  predict 
with  certainty  the  seasons  at  which  he  will  be  found  in  particular  parts 
of  the  ocean.  This  can  be  learned  by  observation  alone,  and  long  ex 
perience  has  taught  those  who  are  skillful  in  the  whale  fishery  the  posi 
tion  of  the  favorite  haunts  of  their  prey,  and  the  times  at  which  they  are 
most  likely  to  be  met  with  there.  Comparing  these  points  and  the  nu 
clei  of  the  currents,  as  observed  and  explained  in  the  preceding  pages, 
the  coincidence  will  strike  everyone  who  will  examine  the  subject ;  and 
when  all  the  facts  necessary  to  illustrate  this  subject  shall  be  ascertained, 
theory  may  serve,  in  some  degree,  to  shorten  the  apprenticeship  which  is 
now  necessary  in  order  to  acquire  game  in  this  adventurous  employment ; 
the  object,  therefore,  of  the  residue  of  this  chapter  will  be  devoted  to 
whaling,  and  to  point  out  the  results  which  our  own  observations,  with 
the  information  derived  from  others,  has  afforded." 


572  APPENDIX. 

THE  RIGHT  WHALE  (Great  Mysticete). 

Shaw,  in  his  Natural  History,  gives  the  following  description  of  this 
whale : 

"  It  is  the  chief  of  the  whale  tribe,  and,  unless  the  krakan  be  not  a 
fabulous  existence,  is  the  largest  of  all  animals,  either  of  land  or  sea. 
Before  the  northern  fisheries  had  reduced  the  number  of  the  species,  it 
was  no  very  uncommon  circumstance  to  find  specimens  of  a  hundred  feet 
in  length,  or  even  longer.  Such,  however,  are  now  very  rarely  seen,  and 
it  is  not  often  that  they  are  found  of  more  than  sixty  or  seventy  feet 
long.  In  its  general  appearance  this  animal  is  peculiarly  uncouth,  the 
head  constituting  nearly  a  third  of  the  whole  mass  ;  the  mouth  is  of  pro 
digious  amplitude  ;  the  tongue  measuring  eighteen  or  twenty  feet  in 
length ;  the  eyes  are  most  disproportionately  small.  In  the  upper  jaw 
are  a  vast  number  of  very  long  and  broad  horny  laminae,  disposed  in  reg 
ular  series  along  each  side  ;  these  are  popularly  known  by  the  name  of 
whalebone.  On  the  top  of  the  head  is  a  double  fistula,  or  spout-hole, 
through  which  the  enormous  animal  discharges  water  at  intervals,  caus 
ing  the  appearance  of  a  marine  jet  d'eau,  ascending  to  a  vast  height  in 
the  air.  Its  common  color  is  black  above  and  white  beneath,  but  in  this 
circumstance  it  is  known  to  vary.  Its  general  residence  is  in  the  North 
ern  Seas,  where  it  has  long  constituted  the  principal  trade  of  the  whale 
or  oil  fishery.  Its  food  is  supposed  to  consist  chiefly  of  different,  kinds 
of  sepiae,  medusae,  and  other  marine  molluscae." 


THE  FIN-BACKED  WHALE. 

"  This  species  is  of  a  much  more  slender  form  than  the  preceding, 
which  it  equals  in  length ;  the  head  is  rather  narrow,  the  mouth  very 
wide,  and  the  lips  are  marked  by  a  number  of  oblique  wrinkles  or  plates, 
in  such  a  manner  as  to  resemble,  in  some  degree,  the  appearance  of  a  large 
twisted  rope.  The  upper  jaw  is  furnished  with  laminae  of  whalebone,  on 
the  same  plan  as  in  the  great  whale,  but  smaller  and  shorter  in  propor 
tion,  and  generally  of  a  bluish  color.  The  general  color  of  this  species 
is  a  dark  or  blackish  olive  on  the  upper  parts,  and  whitish  beneath.  Mar 
tens  compares  the  color  to  that  of  a  tench.  On  the  lower  part  of  the 
back  is  situated  a  small  thick  or  fatty  fin,  of  about  three  or  four  feet  in 
length,  and  of  a  somewhat  sharpened  form.  This  animal  swims  with 
greater  celerity  and  vigor  than  the  great  whale,  and  is  considered  as  much 
more  dangerous  to  attack,  exerting  such  rapid  and  violent  motions  as  to 
render  the  capture  extremely  difficult ;  and  as  the  oil  which  it  affords  is 
much  less  plentiful  than  in  the  former  species,  it  is,  of  course,  less  an 
object  of  pursuit.  It  is  known  to  the  fishers  by  the  title  of  the  fin  fish, 
being  easily  distinguished  by  its  back  fin,  as  well  as  by  its  much  more  vi 
olent  blowing  and  spouting.  It  inhabits  the  same  seas  with  the  great  or 
common  whale." — Shaw. 


APPENDIX.  573 

Of  the  Mysticete,  or  right  whale  species,  Shaw  mentions,  in  addition 
to  the  foregoing,  the  following  : 

"  Pike-headed  Mysticete. — This  species  measures  fifty  feet  or  more  in 
length,  and  is  found  both  in  the  Northern  and  Southern  Oceans.  It  is 
of  moderately  slender  form,  but  somewhat  thick  on  the  fore  parts,  and 
its  color  is  black  above  and  white  beneath :  the  upper  part  of  the  belly  is 
marked  by  numerous  longitudinal  plaits  or  wrinkles,  the  insides  of  which 
are  of  a  red  color.  It  has  a  double  spiracle  or  blow-pipe  on  the  head,  the 
holes  of  which  are  approximated,  and  which  it  can  close  in  such  a  man 
ner,  by  a  common  operculum,  as  to  appear  single.  The  head  is  moder 
ately  large,  and  of  a  gradually  tapering  form,  yet  ending  in  a  somewhat 
broad  or  obtuse  tip.  It  lives  on  a  small  species  of  salmon,  called  the 
Salmo  arcticus,  as  well  as  on  the  Argonauta  arctica  and  the  Ammodytes  Fo- 
bianus,  or  launce.  It  is  a  very  timid  animal. 

"  Bunched  Mysticete. — This  species  is  a  native  of  the  Northern  Seas, 
and  is  said  to  be  of  the  same  general  form  with  the  great  whale,  but  of 
smaller  size,  and  to  have  the  back  furnished  with  one  or  more  tuber 
cles.  Their  whalebone  is  said  to  be  of  a  pale  or  whitish  color. 

"  Under-jawed  Mysticete. — This  is  a  native  of  the  Northern  Seas,  and 
seems  much  allied  to  the  pike-headed  mysticete,  but  grows  to  a  much 
larger  size  ;  having  been  found,  it  is  said,  of  the  length  of  seventy-eight 
feet,  measuring  thirty-five  feet  in  girth.  The  laminae  of  whalebone  are 
black,  and  short  in  proportion  to  the  size  of  the  animal,  the  longest  not 
measuring  more  than  three  feet.  In  the  year  1692  a  specimen  was  taken 
on  the  coast  of  Scotland. 

"  Rostrated  Mysticete. — This  is  by  far  the  smallest  as  well  as  the  most 
elegant  in  its  appearance  of  all  the  Mysticetes,  or  whalebone  whales,  being 
rarely  known  to  attain  the  length  of  twenty  feet.  The  head,  upper  part 
of  the  back,  fins,  and  tail  are  of  a  dark  or  bluish-brown,  but  the  sides 
and  abdomen  are  of  a  beautiful  white,  with  a  very  slight  tinge  of  pale 
rose  or  flesh-color,  and  are  marked  for  more  than  half  the  length  of  the 
animal  by  very  numerous  longitudinal  plaits  or  furrows ;  the  eyes  are 
small,  as  is  also  the  head,  and  the  snout  is  much  more  elongated  than  in 
any  other  species,  gradually  tapering  to  the  extremity,  which  is  slightly 
pointed  :  the  back  fin  is  small,  and  situated  at  no  great  distance  from  the 
tail ;  the  pectoral  fins  are  small  and  narrow,  and  the  tail  is  divided  into 
two  longish  or  pointed  lobes.  The  whole  animal  has  an  elegant,  fish-like 
form,  and  has  none  of  that  uncouth  appearance  which  prevails  in  the 
larger  species. 

Hunter,  speaking  of  the  whale  tribe,  says  : 

"  The  blood  of  this  order  is,  I  believe,  similar  to  that  of  quadrupeds  ; 
but  I  have  an  idea  that  the  red  globules  are  in  larger  proportion."  "  It 
is  certain  that  the  quantity  of  blood  in  this  tribe  and  in  the  seal  is  com 
paratively  larger  than  in  the  quadruped,  and  therefore,  probably,  amounts 
to  more  than  that  of  any  other  known  animal."  Whales  "  differ  from 


574  APPENDIX. 

fish  in  having  the  red  blood  carried  to  the  extreme  parts  of  the  body,  sim 
ilar  to  the  quadruped." 

"  The  substance  of  the  brain  is  more  visibly  fibrous  than  I  ever  saw  it 
in  any  other  animal ;  the  fibers  passing  from  the  ventricles  as  from  a 
center  to  a  circumference,  which  fibrous  texture  is  also  continued  through 
the  cortical  substance.  The  whole  brain  in  the  piked  whale  weighed 
four  pounds  ten  ounces." 


INVENTIONS  FOR  KILLING  THE  WHALE. 

Many  expedients  have  been  resorted  to  from  time  to  time  by  the  in 
genious  to  overcome  the  hazards  and  increase  the  profits  of  the  whaling 
business.  It  was  thought,  in  the  earlier  stages  of  this  pursuit,  that  a  more 
safe  and  expeditious  way  of  killing  the  whale  than  by  the  harpoon  could 
be  devised.  Various  inventive  geniuses  set  to  work,  in  consequence,  and 
suggested  innumerable  methods,  none  of  which  were  attended  with  such 
success  as  to  insure  the  expediency  of  their  adoption.  There  was,  be 
sides,  a  repugnance,  on  the  part  of  old  and  experienced  whalemen,  to  any 
infringement  upon  their  established  method  of  capturing  the  whale.  Its 
hazards  had  no  terrors  for  them  ;  they  had  become  accustomed  to  the  har 
poon  and  the  lance,  and  preferred  these  instruments  to  all  scientific  con 
trivances.  Among  the  experiments  made,  the  most  interesting  were  the 
gun  for  shooting  harpoons,  the  bomb  shell,  and  the  use  of  prussic  acid. 
I  find  an  account  of  the  first  in  Anderson's  Historical  and  Chronological 
Deduction  of  the  Origin  of  Commerce  : 

"In  the  year  1731  the  South  Sea  Company  sent  out  their  remaining 
twenty-two  ships  on  the  whale  fishery,  one  of  which  was  lost,  and  the 
other  twenty -one  ships  brought  home  fourteen  whales,  which  was  far  from 
being  a  saving  voyage.  At  the  Company's  dock  there  had  at  this  time 
been  invented  a  new  sort  of  gun  for  shooting  with  gunpowder  the  har 
poons  into  the  bodies  of  whales,  at  a  greater  distance  than  the  harpoons 
could  be  thrown  by  hand  ;  and  the  ships  were  accordingly  provided  with 
some  of  them,  which  were  used  both  in  this  and  the  next  year's  fishery, 
with  some  success.  They  were  chiefly  adapted  to  a  calm  season,  and 
were  scarcely  practicable  in  blowing  weather,  which  mostly  happens  in 
the  Greenland  seas.  And  although  the  foreign  harpooners  could  not 
easily  be  brought  to  use  them,  as  being  out  of  their  usual  method,  yet  in 
a  ship  fitted  out  by  Mr.  Elias  Bird  and  partners,  two  years  after,  out  of 
the  three  whales  brought  home,  two  of  them  were  said  to  be  killed  by  that 
new-invented  gun." 

I  learned  while  at  sea  that  another  experiment  had  been  tried,  but  with 
even  less  success.  This  invention  is  not  mentioned  in  any  of  the  works 
which  I  have  examined,  and  will,  no  doubt,  be  somewhat  novel  to  the 
reader.  It  was  proposed  that  a  small  swivel  gun  should  be  attached  to 
the  bow  of  the  boat,  with  a  bore  of  about  an  inch  in  diameter.  A  round 

and  hollow  piece  of  iron,  charged  with  a  combustible  preparation,  and 


APPENDIX.  575 

sharp  at  one  end,  was  to  be  shot  from  this  gun  into  the  body  of  the 
whale.  By  an  ingenious  contrivance,  a  match  was  so  placed  at  the  butt- 
end  of  this  instrument,  that  the  explosion  would  not  take  place  till  sev 
eral  minutes  after  it  had  entered  the  whale.  The  dart  being  heaviest  at 
the  sharp  end,  it  could  be  shot  a  considerable  distance  with  unerring  aim. 
It  was  thought  by  many  that  this  invention  could  not  fail  of  success,  and 
a  vessel  was  sent  out,  fitted  with  a  number  of  these  swivel  guns  and 
bomb-shells.  In  one  respect  the  apparatus  succeeded  admirably — whales 
were  killed  with  amazing  facility.  All  that  the  boats  had  to  do  was  to 
pull  up  within  shooting  distance  and  fire  away.  A  few  moments  after  the 
attack  the  immense  body  of  the  whale  was  seen  to  explode  with  a  grand 
report.  But,  unfortunately,  before  the  prize  could  be  secured  it  always 
sank  beyond  hope  of  recovery.  The  buoyant  properties  being  destroyed 
by  the  explosion,  the  whalemen  had  the  mortification  of  seeing  all  their 
game  disappear  beneath  the  clear  blue  waves.  Thus,  this  invention 
proved  a  failure. 

The  next  improvement  upon  the  ordinary  method  was  the  use  of  prus- 
sic  acid.  The  head  of  the  harpoon  was  made  with  a  cavity  capable  of 
containing  a  sufficient  quantity  of  this  deadly  poison  to  kill  the  whale  al 
most  instantly.  When  the  iron  penetrated  the  blubber,  by  a  very  simple 
contrivance  the  poison  was  forced  out,  and,  as  was  expected,  the  whale 
was  killed  without  farther  trouble  :  so  that  one  dart  answered  every  pur 
pose,  thus  avoiding  exposure  to  its  dying  throes.  This  invention  proved 
not  only  a  failure,  but  was  attended  by  the  most  disastrous  consequences. 
Several  of  the  crew  were  poisoned  during  the  process  of  cutting  and  try 
ing  the  blubber,  which  was  found  to  be  impregnated  with  the  prussic 
acid,  and  two  of  them  died  in  consequence  of  some  slight  wounds  on  their 
hands,  having  absorbed  the  poison.  The  use  of  prussic  acid  was,  there 
fore,  abolished  at  once. 

Experience  has  sufficiently  proved  that  the  old  method  is  the  best,  after 
all.  The  dangers  to  which  whalemen  are  exposed  are  great,  but  they 
have  learned  to  regard  them  as  inseparable  from  their  calling.  All  these 
inventions  may  do  very  well  in  the  way  of  experiment,  for  it  is  only  by 
experiment  that  we  can  hope  to  arrive  at  perfection  in  any  pursuit ;  but 
the  probability  is,  the  harpoon  and  lance,  as  they  have  been  from  time 
immemorial,  will  continue  to  be,  in  all  future  ages,  the  most  effective  in 
struments  in  the  capture  of  the  whale. 


SPECIMENS  OF  THE  SOWHELIAN  LANGUAGE. 


Oo-the-a,  trouble. 
Tan-goo-ka,  it  will  fall  down. 
Ca-se-a,  oar. 
E-ya-coon-dor,  red. 
Ne-ya-oo-se,  black. 
Mun-ja-no,  yellow. 


Mane-mow-ete,  green. 
Oo-choon-goo,  bitter. 
M'-we-ve,  thief. 
Tha-hid,  witness. 
Oo-ma-que-ba,  you  stole  it. 
U-fa-je-re,  four  o'clock  in  the  morning. 


576 


APPENDIX. 


Se-ya-o-na  quanza,  I  did  not  see  it 

before. 

A-ke-le,  sense. 
M'-cha-zoo,  play. 
N'-na,  I  have. 
Oo-na,  you  have. 
An-na,  he  has. 

Hoo-na,  are  you  1  or,  have  not  you  ? 
Coo-na,  you  have  not. 
So-ma,  read. 
Voom-be,  dust. 
Moo-e-ne  ma-na,  which  has. 
Oo-so,  face. 

Ma-cone-da,  poor,  useless. 
Yem-bam-ba,  thin. 
Na-na,  thick. 
La-re-bo,  pretty  soon. 
Cha-voo,  net. 
A-sa-ra,  to  lose  in  trade. 
Ma-ra-voo,  hard  fellow. 
Ma-go-pa,  afraid. 
M'zed,  old  man. 
Da-ra-ja,  stairs. 
N'you-ma,  behind. 
M'ba-la,  before. 
Oo-pan-da,  side. 
Oo-pan-da-hoo,  this  side. 
Oo-pan-da  wa-pe-lee,  that  side. 
Ta-fond,  different. 
Ta-foo-na,  chew. 
M'-ra-foo,  tall. 
Hunirna,  none. 

Ma-chin-jina,  wounded  to  death. 
Hoo-na-ne-here,  you  will  not  say  so. 
Ca-ra-tha,  borrow. 
Copa-sha,  lend. 
Boo-too-jee,  loaf-sugar. 
Be-o-rum  ta-coo-o-na  sha,  I'll  show 

you. 

See-coo-o-n'a,  I  will  not  show  you. 
Roo-de-za,  return  or  send  back. 
A-coo-na  fara-ka,  I  haven't  time. 
Moo-o-voo,  noise. 
Na-we-wa,  I  owe. 
Wa-we-wa,  you  owe. 
A'-we-wa,  he  owes. 
A  shoo-roo,  duty     1 


Vla-ha-la  ga-na,  what  place  ? 

M'gee-nec,  town. 

Poon-de-sha,  to  learn. 

Ta-noo,  pill  of  chenum. 

Vto-she,  smoke. 

Me-me-yan, 

Gwa-ba-re-ke,  thank  you. 

Oo-se-ma-gee,  don't  spill  it. 

Ke-tab,  printed  book. 

Moo-da,  minute. 

Qua-ka,  home. 

Too-le-a,  rug. 

Soo-he-re,  aloes. 

Za-be-boo,  grapes. 

N'-yo-ta,  star. 

Ma-ving-oo,  cloud. 

N'yon-a-ta,  hair. 

N'go-te,  mast. 

Fur-ma-le,  yards. 

Me-te,  tree. 

Chu-ma,  iron. 

Poo-u,  steel. 

Sha-ba,  brass. 

San-cha,  machine. 

N'-yo-a,  shave. 

Da-voo,  beard. 

Ma-ta,  merchandise. 

Goo-ga,  Zanzibar. 

Ca-de-re,  apart. 

Goom-ba-na,  quarrel,  not  friends. 

Quem-ba,  sing. 

M'sha-ha-ra,  wages. 

Oo-ma-me,  thunder. 

Moo-re,  lightning. 

Ka-ra-moo,  feast. 

Too-ka-na,  bad  talk. 

Be-o,  to  run. 

'M-ka,  wife. 

Ko-ho,  soul. 

Soo-re-a,  concubine. 

Me-ne,  credit,  trust. 

Coo-ze-ka,  to  bury  the  dead. 

Foo-ke-a,  to  bury  money. 

Pan-da,  to  set  out  a  tree. 

Sur-ma-la,  carpenter. 

M'a-she,  mason. 

M'hoo-ze-ma  chu-ma,  blacksmith. 


APPENDIX. 


577 


M'hoo-zee-wa-fether,  silversmith. 

Go-do-ro,  bed. 

Pe-ra,  India-rubber. 

Coo-ha-de-le,  to  exchange,  or  swap. 

M'coo-ke,  spear. 

Na-na'ze,  pine-apple. 

Pa-ra,  guana. 

Oo-ta-wa  M'sha-ra,  bow  and  arrows. 

M'co-no  N'doe-voo,  tiller. 

Ma-dari-ze,  Persian  oranges. 

Change-a,  China  oranges. 

Co-co,  seed. 

Mo\v-oo-a,  flower. 

Oon-ga,  flour. 

N'ga-noo,  wheat. 

Wan-ga,  arrow-root. 

Ma-ra-she,  M'zoo-ma-re,  rose-water. 

Ma-foo-ta  Stamboul,  otto  of  rose,  or 

Turkish  oil. 
Co-po,  bowl. 
Be-low-oo-re,  tumbler. 
Ba-coo-de,  mug. 
Ke-sa-ha-ne,  small  plate. 
Sa-ha-ne,  large  plate. 
Ke-ghe-koo,  small  spoon. 
M'e-co,  large  spoon. 
Rah-ha-ma-ne.  chart. 
Cha-fee,  to  sneeze. 
Coo-n'go,  to  drink. 
Co -jo -a,  pump  ship. 
N'  jo,  come. 

Nenda  come  M'pe,  go  and  give. 
Ma-ca-ma-ta-ya-he,  how  did  you  catch 

that? 

Coo-fa-fee,  blocks. 
Ha-re-re,  silk. 
Ma-zoo-re,  handsome. 
Oo-ze,  cotton,  or  twine. 
Be-re-ka,  trunk. 
Ke-tam-ba,  piece  of  cloth. 
Ta-sa-ma-oo-se  an  goo  ka,  look  out 

and  don't  fall  down. 
Thorn,  garlic. 
M'coong-oo,  bunch. 
Shoe-hoo-le,  plenty  of  business. 
Ma-voo-le,  umbrella. 
A-la-ma,  number. 

4 


M'pe-a,  new. 

Ke-za,  dark. 

Koo-koo,  old. 

Ha-na,  he  has  not  any. 

M'cha-na,  noon. 

Pin-du-a,  turn  it  over. 

Yan-go,  mine. 

Se,  I. 

Youn-do,  hammer. 

N'gong-go,  mallet. 

Len-ca,  chisel. 

Fan-ye,  fix  or  make. 

Ma-zan,  scale. 

Mo-oren,  bad. 

Me-me-tut-wa-he-k,  /  take  this. 

Cooney,  wood. 

Ma-tiva,  take. 

Ke-ka-poo,  basket. 

Yam-ve,  mat. 

Pe-pa  na-voo-yu,  casks  leak. 

An-de-ka,  write. 

Wa-ke  a  happo,  put  it  there. 

Wa-ke  a  happa,  put  it  here. 

Qua-ne-o-fa-ne  ka-ree,  why  don't  you 

work? 

Fan-ya-ka-za,  go  to  work. 
Nen-de-he-ma,  go  quickly. 

Days  of  the  Week. 

U-ma-ta-too,  Monday 
U-ma-ne,  Tuesday. 
U-ma-tu-no,  Wednesday. 
Ul-him-ese,  Thursday. 
Len-ma,  Friday. 
De-ma-moose,  Saturday. 
Due-ma-pe-le,  Sunday. 

Ma-kire-sha,  finished. 
Sick,  how  easy  ! 
Mus-ke-a,  do  you  hear  ? 
Go-ye-quan-za  nish  a-coola,  wait  till 

I  finish  my  dinner. 
Ka-ka-ta-koo,  sit  down. 
Kas-a-gana,  how  much  do  you  ask  ? 
Go-ze,  hides 
Voo-a,  rain. 
Litta,  bring. 

D 


578 


APPENDIX. 


Ya-ha  se-ne,  aboard  the  vessel. 

Moo-le-za,  ask. 

Foon-goo-oo,  key. 

Ma-can-da,  bag. 

Ma-foo-ta,  oil. 

Ke-te,  chain. 

Ha-la-foo,  by-and-by. 

Ya-na,  yesterday. 

Koo-tua,  day  after. 

Moon-ton,  pillow-case. 

Ba-roat,  powder. 

Ya-ha-za,  ship. 

Youm-ba,  house. 

Ma-zinga,  cannon. 

Ma-no,  teeth. 

Ba-da  ancoo-na,  not  come  yet. 

Ya-ka,  yours. 

Fi-da,  profit. 

Wa-cha-ka  ve-ne.  why  do  you  laugh  ? 

Se-na,  /  haven't  any. 

Me-la-la,  or  Dic-e-ma,  always. 

Coo-na-ne-ne,  what's  the  matter  ? 

Zide,  more. 

Oo-ma,  bite. 

Oo-se-pa-soo-e,  don't  tear  it. 

Se-ta-ka,  /  don't  want  to. 

Oo-man-da,  den. 

Hoo-coo-me-a,  high. 

Coo-me-za,  did  it  hurt  1 

Duff-ta-re,  book  (writing}. 

Na-na  am-a-choo-goo-a,  who  brought 

that? 

High-do-roo,  never  mind. 
Dew-a-le-ma-too-a,  sunset. 
Don-a  ha-le  ja-too-a,  sun  is  not  set. 
Ha-ba-re-ga-na,  what's  the  news  1 
Kee-sha,  then. 
Ra-hese,  cheap. 
Ye-a-noo-ka,  smells. 
E-na-po-po,  any  time. 
Voo-ta,  pull. 
Soo-koo-ma,  push. 
Po-tare,  last. 
Ye-a-to-ka  whappee,  where  do  you 

come  from  1 

Coo-oo-ma,  sore  or  aches. 
Ye-a-coo  rohea,  nearly. 


Wa-we-ya,  due,  or  owe. 
Sec-ka-sec-de,  accident. 
Washa-ta,  light  the  lamp. 
Te-ma-ta,  put  out  the  lamp. 
Who-hea-fa,  not  yet  dead. 
Hum-dea  cha-too,  not  yet  finished. 
Com-jewa,  spread. 
Ta-ka,  dirty. 

Coon-ja,  double,  or  fold  up. 
Sa-ha-ne,  plate. 
Choo-coo-a,  carry. 
M'la-va,  drunk. 
Ga-le,  dear. 
Num-na,  sample. 
Fe-ne-ka,  cover. 
M'we-ve,  thief. 
Oo-ma-que-ba,  you  stole  it. 
Ha-pa-na-m'-too,  nobody. 
Coo-poo-tare,  lost. 

M'goo-am  a-ne-pa  oo-le-me  Wa-ne- 
ne,  God  gave  me  a  tongue  for  what  1 
Zoon-goo-sha,  turn  it  round. 
See-me-ka,  stand  it  up. 
Soo-ma-ke,  fish. 
Me-me-na,  pour  it  out. 
Cut-e-cut-e,  middle. 
Pach-a,  double,  or  two. 
Ma-san-goo,  brass-ware. 


N'ga,  outside. 
Poon-goo-sa,  take  out. 
To-sha,  enough. 
N'za,  fly. 

Ke-pa-to,  half  bag. 
T'fa-tha-le,  if  you  please. 
Pa-la-pa-la,  same  place. 
Wa-kam  bala,  keep  separate. 
M'ze-goo,  bundle. 
Men-da,  cockroach. 
To-bu-ka-ra,  snuffbox. 
Da-na-te,  writing-desk. 
Ve-ring-oo,  round. 
Ta-noose,  lantern,  or  entry  lamp. 
Coo-ta-e-re,  circumcise. 
Ke-lem-ba,  turban. 
Ke-goo-roo,  lame. 
Ke-do-le,  finger. 


APPENDIX. 


579 


W  goo,  foot. 

Pa-d'ya,  leg: 

Daw-moo,  lip. 

Cho-ro-ro,  soft. 

Gov-moo,  hard. 

A-ke-dar,  head  cooly. 

Nenda  coo-si-de-a,  go  and  help. 

Ca-ba,  whore. 

M'ganga,  doctor. 

Mamoo,  preacher. 

Pemba,  ivory. 

Dua,  sun. 

Mazee,  moon. 

Maka,  year. 

Mana-noo  papo,  useless   talk  (wind 

talk.) 

Ze-o-ma,  ache. 
Quanza,  before. 
Kee-sha,  after. 
Ke-o,  that. 
Wa-ka,  keep. 
Na-jew-a,  I  know  that. 
N'de-ric,  that  is  it. 
Ra-ze-bo,  try. 

Ye-a-ma-za  mammo,  stop  that  talk. 
Cha-goo-a,  garble  (pick  copal). 
Sa-fa,  clean. 
Coo-coo,  dirty. 

Now-om-ba,  /  wish,  or  /  hope. 
Qua-la,  true. 
Twa-ka,  hoist. 
Tu-a,  lower. 

Na-tha-ne-heveo,  I  think  so. 
Co-me  a  he,  same  as  this. 
Ca-na,  the  same. 
Ma-cho-ka,  tired. 
Soo-a-za-koo  Se-ma-ma,  I  can't  stand 

up. 

Sa-ba-boo  ne-na,  what  is  the  reason  1 
Ca-le,  hot. 
Ba-re-de,  cold. 

He-sa-boo,  figures,  or  account. 
Go-ra,  piece  (30  yards  of  cloth). 
Rup-ta,  bale  (of  cloth). 
Ha-re,  sweat. 


Ta-ka,  do  you  want  1 

Wa-to-ka  whappey,  where  do  you, 
come  from  1 

Mo-e-ta,  call. 

Se-pen-da,  /  don't  like  it. 

Ke-ja-na,  boy. 

Coo-o-sha,  wash. 

M'pe-she,  cook. 

Wen-da  na-na  ne,  whom  are  you  go 
ing  with  ? 

Ca-voo,  dry. 

She-ka,  hold  it. 

Ak-we-ta,  he  calls  you,  or  you  are 
called. 

Mu-e-sho,  the  last. 

Coo-za,  sell. 

A-ta-ka,  asks,  the  price. 

New-new-a,  buy. 

Ha-too-fa  ne-bea  chara,  we  can  not 
trade. 

Goorny  (Banyan),  whale. 

Y'hazzee  piga  M'goomy  (Banyan), 

a    whaler,    or    "  ship    that    strikes 

whales." 

Vlazene  ( Arabic),  name  of  church  crier. 
Smilla  (Arabic),  take  care  ! 
3ona  (Sowhelian),  the  name  by  which 

slaves  address  their  masters. 
Vtalim  (Sowhelian),  schoolmaster,  or 

mate  of  a  vessel. 
/['goo  (Sowhelian),  God. 
Alia  (Arabic),  God. 
>hatan  (Sowhelian),  devil. 
latonee  (Sowhelian),  hell. 
5aponee  (Sowhelian),  heaven. 
lonano  tamo  (Sowhelian),  flattery, 

or  "  sweet  talk." 

I 'Googa  (Sowhelian),  form  of  Zan 
zibar. 
\tareema  (Sowhelian),  coast  opposite 

Zanzibar. 
f'Guzzeeja    (Sowhelian),   name    of 

Grand  Comoro  Island. 
Jookin  (Sowhelian),  Madagascar. 


580 


APPENDIX. 


Numerals. 

N.B.  No  specimens  of  the  Sowhelian  or  Ambolambo  numerals  have,  I 
believe,  ever  before  been  published. 

The  above  list  of  words  and  phrases  in  common  use  among  the  Sowhe- 
lians  is  also  the  first  that  has  yet  appeared. 


Arabic. 

Sowhelian. 

Hindoostanee. 

Banyan. 

Ambolambo. 

1  Wahed. 

Moya. 

Yeik. 

Okelo. 

Rakee. 

2  Thineen. 

Tatoo. 

Do. 

Pa. 

Rone. 

3  Thalatha. 

N'nee. 

Teen. 

Teen. 

Mamoko. 

4  Aroba. 

Tanoo. 

Char. 

Char. 

Efagee. 

5  Humpsa. 

Beele. 

Pauch. 

Pauch. 

Fifo. 

6  Sitta. 

Sitta. 

Cha. 

Cha. 

Charta. 

7  Sebba. 

Sebla. 

Saat. 

Saat. 

Tetoo. 

8  Themaina. 

Nanee. 

Aat. 

Aat. 

Valoo. 

9  Tessa. 

Kenda. 

No. 

Neend. 

Seene. 

10  Asharra. 

Kooma. 

Bus. 

Chim. 

Fooloo. 

THE  END. 


VALUABLE  STANDARD  WORKS 

IS  THE  SEVERAL  DEPARTMENTS  OF  LITERATURE, 

PUBLISHED  BY 

HARPER  &  BROTHERS,  NEW-YORK. 


Agriculture,  Domestic  Economy,  &c. 

ARMSTRONG'S  TREATISE  ON  AGRICULTURE:  edited  by  BUEL,  50  cts. 

BEECHER'S  (Miss  C.  E.)  DOMESTIC  ECONOMY,  75  cents. 

HOUSEKEEPER'S  RECEIPT-BOOK. 

BUEL'S  (JESSE)  FARMER'S  INSTRUCTOR,  $1  00. 

CHAPTAL'S  CHEMISTRY  APPLIED  TO  AGRICULTURE,  50  cents. 

COCK'S  AMERICAN  POULTRY-BOOK,  35  cents. 

GARDNER'S  FARMER'S  DICTIONARY.     Engravings,  $1  50. 

GAYLORD  AND  TUCKER'S  AMERICAN  HUSBANDRY,  $1  00. 

KITCHENER'S  COOK'S  ORACLE  AND  HOUSEKEEPER'S  MANUAL, 
88  cents. 

MORRELL'S  AMERICAN  SHEPHERD.  Plates.  Paper,  75  cents.  Mus 
lin,  90  cents. 

PARKES'S  DOMESTIC  DUTIES,  FOR  MARRIED  LADIES,  75  cents. 

SMITH'S  (Mrs.)  MODERN  AMERICAN  COOKERY,  40  cents. 

WEBSTER  AND  PARKES'S  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  DOMESTIC  ECON 
OMY.  Nearly  1000  Engravings.  Muslin,  $3  50.  Sheep  extra,  §3  75. 


Biblical  and  Theological  History. 

ABERCROMBIE'S  MISCELLANEOUS  ESSAYS,  38  cents. 
BAIRD'S  (Dr.)  VIEW  OF  RELIGION  IN  AMERICA,  63  cents. 
BARNES'S  (ALBERT)    NOTES  ON  THE  NEW  TESTAMENT,  9  vols., 

each  volume  sold  separately,  75  cents. 

QUESTIONS  on  the  above,  6  vols.,  each  15  cents. 
BELL'S  (Sir  CHARLES)  MECHANISM  OF  THE  HAND,  60  cents. 
BLAIR'S  (Rev.  Dr.)   SERMONS,  $1  50. 

BONNECHOSE'S  HISTORY  OF  THE  EARLY  REFORMERS,  40  cents 
BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRAYER,  corrected  Standard  Edition,  in  about  30  va 

rieties  of  size  and  binding1. 
BROWN'S  DICTIONARY  OF  THE  HOLY  BIBLE,  $1  75. 

POCKET  CONCORDANCE  TO  THE  HOLY  BIBLE,  38  cents. 

BUNYAN'S  PILGRIM'S  PROGRESS,  75  cents. 

BUTLER'S  ANALOGY  OF  NATURAL  AND  REVEALED  RELIGION, 

35  cents. 
CHALMERS    ON  THE    POWER,   WISDOM,   AND   GOODNESS   OF 

GOD  IN  THE  CREATION,  60  cents. 

CHURCH  (THE)  INDEPENDENT  OF  THE  STATE,  90  cents. 
COLTON  ON  THE  RELIGIOUS  STATE  OF  THE  COUNTRY,  60  cents. 
COMFORTER  (THE)  ;  OR,  CONSOLATIONS  FOR  MOURNERS,  45  cts. 
DAYS  (THE)  OF  QUEEN  MARY,  20  cents. 
PICK'S  SIDEREAL  HEAVENS,  45  cents. 

CELESTIAL  SCENERY  ;  OR,  PLANETARY  SYSTEM,  45  cts. 

DWIGHT'S  (Rev.  Dr.)  THEOLOGY  EXPLAINED  AND   DEFENDED, 

4  vols.,  8vo,  $6  00. 

GLEIG'S  HISTORY  OF  THE  BIBLE,  2  vols.,  80  cents. 
HALL'S  (Rev.  ROBERT)  COMPLETE  WORKS,  4  vols.,  $6  00. 
HAWKS'S  HISTORY  OF  THE  PROTESTANT  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH 

IN  VIRGINIA,  $1  75. 

HOLY  COAT  (THE)  OF  TREVES,  38  cents. 
HUNTER'S  BIOGRAPHY  OF  THE  PATRIARCHS,  THE  SAVIOR,  &c., 

$1  75. 

ILLUMINATED  AND  PICTORIAL  BIBLE,  1600  Engravings. 
JARVIS'S  (Rev.  S.  F.)  CHRONOLOGICAL  INTRODUCTION  TO  THE 

CHURCH,  $3  00. 


2  VALUABLE    NEW    AND    STANDARD    WORKS 

JAY'S  (Rev.  WILLIAM)  COMPLETE  WORKS,  3  vols.,  $5  00. 
KEITH'S  LAND  OF  ISRAEL,  $1  25. 
O 


DEMONSTRATION  OF  CHRISTIANITY,  $1  38. 
ON  THE  PROPHECIES,  60  cents. 


LE  BAS'S  LIFE  OF  WICLIF,  50  cents. 
--  LIFE  OF  ARCHBISHOP  CRANMER,  $1  00. 
M'lLVUNE'S  (Bishop)  EVIDENCES  OF  CHRISTIANITY,  $1  00. 
-  -  ---  ON  THE  DANGERS  OF  THE  CHURCH,  10  cts 
MILMAN'S  (Rev.  H.  H.)  HISTORY  OF  THE  JEWS,  3  vols.,  $1  20. 
-----  HISTORY  OF  CHRISTIANITY,  $1  90. 
MOSHEIM'S  ECCLESIASTICAL  HISTORY,  by  MURDOCK,  $7  50. 

The  same  Work,  by  MACLAINE,  $3  50. 

MEAL'S  (DANIEL)  HISTORY  OF  THE  PURITANS,  2  vols.,  $3  50. 
PALEY'S  EVIDENCES  OF  CHRISTIANITY,  38  cents. 
---  NATURAL  THEOLOGY:  edited  by  BROUGHAM,  90  cents. 
PARKER'S  (Rev.  J.)  INVITATIONS  TO  TRUE  HAPPINESS,  38  cents. 
PISE'S  (Rev.  Dr.)  LETTERS  TO  ADA,  45  cents. 
PRIDEAUX'S    CONNECTION    OF   THE    OLD   AND    NEW  TESTA 

MENTS,  $3  75. 

PROTESTANT  JESUITISM,  by  a  Protestant,  90  cents. 
SANDFORD'S  (Rev.  P.  P.)  HELP  TO  FAITH,  75  cents. 
SAURIN'S  SERMONS  :  edited  by  Bishop  HENSHAW,  $3  75. 
SCOTT'S  (Rev.  JOHN)  LUTHER  AND  THE  REFORMATION,  $1  00. 
SHOBERL'S  HISTORY  OF  THE  PERSECUTIONS  OF  POPERY,  20  cts 
SHUTTLEWORTH'S  CONSISTENCY  OF  REVELATION,  45  cents. 
SMEDLEY'S  REFORMED  RELIGION  IN  FRANCE,  $1  40. 
SMITH  (Rev.  HUGH)  ON  THE  HEART  DELINEATED,  45  cents. 
STONE'S  (Rev.  JOHN  S.)  MYSTERIES  OPENED,  $1  00. 
SUFFERINGS  (THE)  OF  CHRIST,  by  a  Layman,  $1  00. 
SUMMERFIELD'S  (Rev  JOHN)  SERMONS,  $1  75. 
TURNER'S  (Rev.  S.  II.)  ESSAY  ON  THE  DISCOURSE  AT   CAPE! 

NAUM,  75  cents. 

TURNER'S  (S.)  SACRED  HISTORY  OF  THE  WORLD,  3  vols.,  $1  35 
UNCLE  PHILIP'S  EVIDENCES  OF  CHRISTIANITY,  35  cents. 
WADDINGTON'S  HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH,  $1  75. 
WHEWELL'S  ASTRONOMY  AND  GENERAL  PHYSICS,  50  cents. 


Biography. 


APOSTLES  AND  EARLY  MARTYRS  OF  THE  CHURCH,  25  cents. 
BARROW'S  (JOHN)  LIFE  OF  PETER  THE  GREAT,  45  cents. 
BANGS'S  LIFE  OF  JAMES  ARMINIUS,  D.D.,  50  cents. 
BELKNAP'S  (JEREMY)  AMERICAN  BIOGRAPHY,  3  vols.,  $1  35. 
BELL'S  LIFE  OF  MARY  QUEEN  OF  SCOTS,  85  cents. 
BONAPARTE  (LuciEN),  MEMOIRS  OF,  30  cents. 
BREWSTER'S  (DAVID)  LIFE  OF  SIR  ISAAC  NEWTON,  45  cents 

LIVES  OF  GALILEO,  TYCHO  BRAIIE,  &r 

45  cents. 

BURR  (AARON),  PRIVATE  JOURNAL  OF,  $4  50. 
BUSH'S  (Rev.  GEORGE)  LIFE  OF  MOHAMMED,  45  cents 
CALHOUN'S  (JOHN  C.)  LIFE  AND  SPEECHES,  $1  13. 
CAMPBELL'S  (THOMAS)  LIFE  OF  MRS.  SIDDONS,  70  cents 
COBBETT'S  (WILLIAM)  LIFE  OF  GENERAL  JACKSON,  40  cents 
COOLEY'S  LIFE  OF  HAYNES:  edited  by  SPRAGUE,  90  cents. 
CORNWALL'S  (BARRV)  LIFE  OF  EDMUND  KEAN,  65  cents. 
COURT  (THE)  AND  CAMP  OF  BONAPARTE,  45  cents. 
COWELL'S  (JoE)  LIFE,  by  HIMSELF,  20  cents. 
CROCKETT  (DAVID),  SKETCHES  OF  THE  LIFE  OF,  50  cents 
CROLY'S  (GEORGE)  LIFE  OF  GEORGE  IV.,  45  cents. 
CUNNINGHAM'S  (ALLAN)  LIVES  OF  EMINENT  PAINTERS,  $2  10 
D'ABRANTES  (DUCHESS),  MEMOIRS  OF,  $1  38. 
DAVIS'S  MEMOIRS  OF  AARON  BURR,  $3  80. 
DISTINGUISHED  MEN  OF  MODERN  TIMES,  (LIVES  OF),  90  cents. 


PUBLISHED    BY    HARPER    &    BROTHERS.  3 

DISTINGUISHED  FEMALES  (LIVES  OF),  35  cents. 

DOVER'S  (Lord)  LIFE  OF  FREDERIC  THE  GREAT,  90  cents. 

DREW  (SAMUEL),  LIFE  OF,  by  his  SON,  75  cents. 

DWIGHT'S  (N.)  LIVES  OF  THE  SIGNERS  OF  THE  DECLARATION 
OF  INDEPENDENCE,  90  cents. 

FENELON'S  LIVES  OF  ANCIENT  PHILOSOPHERS,  45  cents. 

FORSTER'S  (JOHN)  CELEBRATED  STATESMEN  OF  THE  ENGLISH 
COMMONWEALTH. 

FORSYTH'S  (Dr.)  LIFE  OF  DR.  PROUDFIT,  75  cents. 

FRANKLIN  (Dr.),  LIFE  OF,  by  HIMSELF,  2  vols.,  90  cents. 

GALT'S  (JOHN)  LIFE  OF  LORD  BYRON,  40  cents. 

GLASS'S  LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON  ;  in  Latin,  $1  13. 

GODWIN'S  LIVES  OF  THE  NECROMANCERS,  65  cents. 

HEAD'S  LIFE  OF  BRUCE,  the  African  Traveler,  45  cts. 

HOGG'S  (JAMES)  ANECDOTES  OF  SIR  WALTER  SCOTT,  60  cents. 

HOLDICH'S  LIFE  OF  REV.  DR.  WILLBUR  FISK,  $2  00. 

HOLMES'S  LIFE  OF  MOZART,  50  cents. 

HORNE'S  NEW  SPIRIT  OF  THE  AGE,  25  cents. 

HUNTER'S  SACRED  BIOGRAPHY,  $1  75. 

IRVING'S  LIFE  OF  OLIVER  GOLDSMITH,  90  cents. 

JAMES'S  LIFE  OF  CHARLEMAGNE,  45  cents. 

JAMESON'S  MEMOIRS  OF  CELEBRATED  FEMALE  SOVEREJGNS, 
60  cents. 

JAY'S  (JOHN)  LIFE,  by  his  SON,  $5  00. 

JOHNSON'S  (Dr.)  LIFE,  AND  SELECT  WORKS,  90  cents- 

KENDALL'S  (AMOS)  LIFE  OF  GENERAL  JACKSON- 
LEE'S  (Mrs.)  LIFE  OF  BAilON  CUVIER,  50  cents. 
LE  BAS'S  (C.  W.)  LIFE  OF  WICLIF,  50  cents. 

LIFE  OF  CRANMER,  2  vols.,  $1  00. 

LOCKHART'S  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON,  90  cents. 
MACKENZIE'S  (A.  SLIDELL)  LIFE  OF  PAUL  JONES,  $1  00. 

—  LIFE  OF  COM.  O.  H.  PERRY,  90  cents, 

MEMES'S  MEMOIRS  OF  THE  EMPRESS  JOSEPHINE,  45  cents. 
M'GUIRE'S  OPINIONS  AND  CHARACTER  OF  WASHINGTON,  $1  13 
MOORE'S  (THOMAS)  LIFE,  LETTERS,  &c.,  OF  BYRON.  $2  75. 

LIFE  OF  LORD  EDWARD  FITZGERALD,  $1  00 

NAVIGATORS  (EARLY),  LIVES  OF,  45  cents. 
PARK'S   (MuNGO)  LIFE  AND  TRAVELS,  45  cents. 
PAULDING'S  (J.  K.)  LIFE  OF  GEORGE  WASHINGTON,  90  cents. 
PELLICO'S  (SILVIO)  MEMOIRS  AND  IMPRISONMENTS,  50  cents. 
PLUTARCH'S  LIVES  :  translated  by  LANGHORNE,  1  vol.,  $2  00. 

The  same  Work  in  4  vols.,  $3  50. 
JRENWICK'S  (JAMES)  LIFE  OF  DE  WITT  CLINTON,  45  cents. 

LIVES    OF    JOHN    JAY    AND    ALEXANDER 

HAMILTON,  45  cents. 

ROBERTS'S  LIFE  AND  CORRESPONDENCE  OF  H.  MORE,  $1  50. 
RUSSELL'S  (Rev.  M.)  LIFE  OF  OLIVER  CROMWELL,  90  cents. 
SCOTT'S  (John)  LIFE  OF  LUTHER,  $1  00. 

SEDGWICK'S  (T.)  LIFE  AND  LETTERS  OF  W.  LIVINGSTON,  $2  00. 
SOUTHEY'S  (ROBERT)  LIFE  OF  LORD  NELSON,  45  cents. 
SPARKS'S  (JARED)  AMERICAN  BIOGRAPHY,  10  vols.,  $7  50. 

The  Volumes  sold  separately,  if  desired, 

STEWART'S  ADVENTURES  IN  CAPTURING  MURRELL,  90  cents. 
STILLING'S  (HEINRICH)  AUTOBIOGRAPHY,  20  cents. 
STONE'S  (W.  L.)  LIFE  OF  BRANT,  THE  INDIAN  CHIEF,  90  cents. 

LIFE  OF  MATTHIAS  THE  IMPOSTOR,  63  cents 

ST.  JOHN'S  (J.  A.)  LIVES  OF  CELEBRATED  TRAVELERS,  $1  25 
TAYLOR'S  (JOHN)  "RECORDS  OF  MY  LIFE,"  $1  50. 
THATCHER'S  (B.  B.)  BIOGRAPHY  OF  DISTINGUISHED   INDIANS, 

90  cents. 

TYLER'S  (JOHN)  LIFE  /LND  SPEECHES,  40  cents. 
WILLIAMS'S  LIFE  OF  ALEXANDER  THE  GREAT,  45  cents. 
WILSON'S   LIVES  OF  ECCENTRIC  AND  WONDERFUL   CHARAC 
TERS,  $1  90. 


4  VALUABLE    NEW   AND    STANDARD    WORKS 

History,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

ALISON'S  (ARCHIBALD)  EUROPE  FROM  1789  TO  1815,  $5  00. 
BONNECHOSE'S   HISTORY   OF    THE   REFORMERS   BEFORE   LU 

THER,  40  cents. 

BUCKE'S  RUINS  OF  ANCIENT  CITIES,  90  cents. 
BULWER'S  ATHENS,  ITS  RISE  AND  FALL,  $1  20. 
BUNNER'S  HISTORY   OF   LOUISIANA  TO   THE  PRESENT  TIME, 

45  cents. 

CAESAR'S  COMMENTARIES;  translated  by  WILLIAM  DUNCAN,  90  cents 
CRICHTON'S  HISTORY  OF  ARABIA,  ANCIENT  AND  MODERN,  90  cts 
CRICHTON  AND  WHEATON'S  DENMARK,  NORWAY,  AND  SWE- 

DEN,  90  cents. 

CROWE'S  (E.  E.)  HISTORY  OF  FRANCE,  3  vols.,  $1  75. 
DAVIS'S  HISTORY  OF  CHINA,  2  vols.,  90  cents. 
DUNHAM'S  HISTORY  OF  SPAIN  AND  PORTUGAL,  $2  50. 
DUNLAP'S  (W.)  HISTORY  OF  THE  STATE  OF  NEW  YORK,  90  cents 

HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  THEATRE,  $1  75. 

DWIGHT'S  (T.)  HISTORY  OF  CONNECTICUT,  45  cents. 
FERGUSON'S  HISTORY  OF  THE  ROMAN  REPUBLIC,  45  cents 
FLETCHER'S  HISTORY  OF  POLAND,  45  cents. 
FLORIAN'S  HISTORY  OF  THE  MOORS  IN  SPAIN,  45  cents. 
FRASER'S  HISTORY  OF  MESOPOTAMIA  AND  ASSYRIA,  45  cents. 
HISTORICAL  AND   DESCRIPTIVE  ACCOUNT   OF  PER- 

GIBBON'S  HISTORY  OF  ROME,  with  Notes  by  MILMAN,  $5  00. 
GOLDSMITH'S  HISTORY  OF  ROME:  abridged,  45  cents. 

HISTORY  OF  GREECE:  abridged,  45  cents. 

GRANT'S  HISTORY  OF  THE  NESTORIANS,  OR  LOST  TRIBES,  $1  00 
GRATTAN'S  HISTORY  OF  THE  NETHERLANDS  TO  THE  REVO- 

LUTION  OF  1830,  60  cents. 

HALE'S  HISTORY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES  TO  1817,  2  vols.,  90  cents 
HALLAM'S  CONSTITUTIONAL  HISTORY  OF  ENGLAND. 

VIEW  OF  EUROPE  DURING  THE  MIDDLE  AGES,  $2  00 

INTRODUCTION  TO  THE   LITERATURE  OF  EUROPE, 

$375. 
HAWKS'S  HISTORY  OF  THE  PROTESTANT  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH 

IN  VIRGINIA,  $1  75. 

HENRY'S  HISTORY  OF  PHILOSOPHY,  2  vols.,  90  cents. 
HERODOTUS'S  GENERAL  HISTORY  ;  by  Rev.  W.  BELOE,  $1  35. 
HOWITT'S  HISTORY  OF  PRIESTCRAFT  IN  ALL  AGES,  .60  cents. 
ICELAND,  GREENLAND,  AND  THE  FAROE  ISLANDS,  45  cents. 
JAMES'S  HISTORY  OF  CHIVALRY  AND  THE  CRUSADES,  45  cts. 
JAPAN  AND  THE  JAPANESE,  45  cents. 
JARVIS'S  CHRONOLOGICAL  INTRODUCTION   TO  THE  HISTORY 

OF  THE  CHURCH,  $3  00. 

KEIGHTLEY'S  HISTORY  OF  ENGLAND  TO  1839,  5  vols  ,  $225. 
LANMAN'S  HISTORY  OF  THE  STATE  OF  MICHIGAN,  45  cents. 
LIVY'S  HISTORY  OF  ROME  :  translated  by  BAKER,  5  vols.,  $2  25 
LOSSING'S  HISTORY  OF  THE  FINE  ARTS,  45  cents. 
MACKINTOSH'S  ENGLAND  TO  THE  17th  CENTURY,  $1  50. 
MICHELET'S  ELEMENTS  OF  MODERN  HISTORY,  45  cants. 
MJLMAN'S  HISTORY  OF  THE  JEWS,  3  vols.,  $1  20. 
MOSHEIM'S  ECCLESIASTICAL  HISTORY:  MACLAINE'S  Edition, $3  50. 

MURDOCH'S  Edition  of  the  same  Work,  $7  50. 
MURRAY'S  HISTORICAL  ACCOUNT  OF  BRITISH  AMERICA,  90  cts. 

HISTORICAL  ACCOUNT  OF  BRITISH  INDIA,  $1  35. 

NEAL'S  HISTORY  OF  THE  PURITANS,  $3  50. 

PICTORIAL  HISTORY  OF  ENGLAND,  TO  THE  REIGN  OF  GEORGE 

III.,  profusely  Illustrated. 
PRESCOTT'S  HISTORY  OF   THE  CONQUEST  OF  MEXICO,  3  vols., 

$600. 
HISTORY    OF  FERDINAND  AND  ISABELLA,  S  vols., 

$000. 


PUBLISHED    BY    HARPER    &    BROTHERS.  5 

PRIDEAUX'S  CONNECTION  OF  THE  OLD  AND  NEW  TESTAMENTS, 

$375. 
ROBERTSON'S  HISTORICAL  WORKS,  3  vols.,  8vo,  Maps,  $5  00. 

HISTORY  OF  THE  REIGN  OF  CHARLES  V.,  $1  75 

Abridged,  45  cents. 

HISTORY  OF  AMERICA,  $1  75.    Abridged,  45  cents. 

HISTORY  OF   SCOTLAND  AND  ANCIENT  INDIA, 

$1  75. 

ROBINS'S  (Mrs.)  TALES  FROM  AMERICAN  HISTORY,  3  vols.,  $1  00. 
ROLLIN'S  ANCIENT  HISTORY,  WITH  A  LIFE  OF  THE  AUTHOR, 

$375. 

RUSSELL  4ND  JONES'S  HISTORY  OF  MODERN  EUROPE,  $5  00. 
RUSSELL'S  (MICHAEL)  HISTORY  OF  EGYPT,  45  cents. 

HISTORY  OF  NUBIA  AND  ABYSSINIA,  45  cts. 

HISTORY  OF  THE  BARBARY  STATES,  45  cts. 

HISTORY  OF  POLYNESIA,  45  cents. 

HISTORY  OF  PALESTINE,  45  cents. 


J.11O  i  V/J.V  J.        V^J.'       X    n.AJ±K»J  J.  J.11.LJ,    Ifc*    IvCIlLO. 

Jy)  JOURNAL  OF  DISASTERS  IN  AFGHANISTAN,  TO  cts 
HISTORY  :  translated  by  ROSE,  40  cents. 


SALE'S  (Lad} 

SALLUST'S 

SCOTT'S  (Sir  W.)  HISTORY  OF  SCOTLAND,  2  vols.,  $1  20 

HISTORY  OF  DEMON OLOGY,  40  cents. 

SCOTT'S  (JOHN)  LUTHERAN  REFORMATION,  $1  00. 

SEGUR'S  HISTORY  OF  NAPOLEON'S  RUSSIAN  CAMPAIGN,  90  cts. 

SFORZOSI'S  HISTORY  OF  ITALY,  45  cents. 

SISMONDI'S  HISTORY  OF  THE  ITALIAN  REPUBLICS,  60  cents. 

SMEDLEY'S  SKETCHES  FROM  VENETIAN  HISTORY,  90  cents. 

SMITH'S  (H.)  HISTORY  OJ   FESTIVALS,  GAMES,  &c.,  45  cents. 

SMITH'S  (H.  J.)  HISTORY  Or   EDUCATION,  45  cents. 

SPALDING'S  HISTORY  OF  ITALY  AND  THE  ITALIAN  ISLANDS,  $1  35. 

STONE'S  BORDER  WARS  OF  THE  AMERICAN  REVOLUTION,  90  cts. 

SWITZERLAND,  HISTORY  OF,  60  cents. 

TAYLOR'S  HISTORY  OF  IRELAND,  90  cents. 

THATCHER'S  HISTORY  OF  THE  BOSTON  TEA-PARTY,  63  cents. 

TALES  OF  THE  AMERICAN  REVOLUTION,  35  cents. 

THIRLWALL'S  HISTORY  OF  GREECE,  2  vols.,  $3  50. 
THUCYDIDES'  GENERAL  HISTORY  :  translated  by  SMITH,  90  cents 
TURNER'S  SACRED  HISTORY  OF  THE  WORLD,  $1  35. 
TYTLER'S  UNIVERSAL  HISTORY,  6  vols.,  $2  70. 
UNCLE  PHILIP'S  HISTORY  OF  VIRGINIA,  35  cents. 

HISTORY  OF  NEW  YORK,  2  vols.,  70  cents. 

HISTORY  OF  LOST  GREENLAND,  35  cents. 

HISTORY  OF  NEW  HAMPSHIRE,  2  vols.,  70  cents 

HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS,  2  vols.,  70  cents 

XENOPHON'S  HISTORY  :  translated  by  SPELMAN,  85  cents. 


College  &  School  Books. 

ANTHON'S  (CiiAKLEs)  LATIN  LESSONS,  90  cents. 

LATIN  PROSE  COMPOSITION,  90  cents. 

LATIN  PROSODY  AND  METRE,  90  cents. 

LATIN  VERSIFICATION,  90  cents. 

ZUMPT'S  LATIN  GRAMMAR,  90  cents. 

COMMENTARIES  OF  CAESAR,  $1  40. 

^ENEID  OF  VIRGIL.     English  Notes,  $2  OC 

ECLOGUES  AND  GEORGICS  OF  VIRGIL 

CICERO'S  SELECT  ORATIONS,  $1  20. 

SALLUST.     With  English  Notes,  88  cents. 

HORACE.     With  English  Notes,  $1  75. 

FIRST  GREEK  LESSONS,  90  cents. 

GREEK  PROSE  COMPOSITION,  90  cents. 

GREEK  PROSODY  AND  METRE,  90  cents. 

GREEK  GRAMMAR,  90  cents. 

NEW  GREEK  GRAMMAR,  90  cents. 


6  VALUABLE    NEW    AND    STANDARD    WORKS 

ANTHON'S  (CHARLES)  HOMER.    With  English  Notes,  $1  50. 

GREEK  READER,  FROM  THE  GERMAW  OP 

JACOBS,  $1  75. 
ANABASIS  OF  XENOPHON. 

GREEK  AND  ENGLISH  LEXICON. 

• CLASSICAL  DICTIONARY,  $4  75. 

SMITH'S  DICTIONARY  OF  GREEK  AND  RO 
MAN  ANTIQUITIES,  $4  75. 
The  game  work,  abridged. 

BENNETT'S  (J.  A.)  SYSTEM  OF  BOOK-KEEPING,  $1  50. 

BOUCHARLAT'S  ELEMENTARY  TREATISE  ON  MECHANICS,  $2  25. 

BOYD'S  ELEMENTS  OF  RHETORIC,  50  cents. 

CAMPBELL'S  PHILOSOPHY  OF  RHETORIC,  $1  25. 

CLARK'S  (D.  W.)  ELEMENTS  OF  ALGEBRA,  &c.,  $1  00. 

EDWARDS'S  (W.)  BOOK-KEEPER'S  ATLAS,  $2  00. 

GRISCOM'S  ANIMAL  MECHANISM  AND  PHYSIOLOGY,  45  cents. 

HAZEN'S  PROFESSIONS  AND  TRADES.     81  Engravings,  75  cents. 

HEMPEL'S  GRAMMAR  OF  THE  GERMAN  LANGUAGE,  $1  75 

HENRY'S  HISTORY  OF  PHILOSOPHY,  90  cents. 

KANE'S  ELEMENTS  OF  CHEMISTRY,  $2  00. 

LEE'S  ELEMENTS   OF  GEOLOGY,  50  cents. 

LEWIS'S  PLATONIC  THEOLOGY,  &c.,  $1  50. 

MAURY'S  PRINCIPLES  OF  ELOQUENCE,  50  cents. 

MORSE'S  NEW  SYSTEM  OF  GEOGRAPHY  FOR  SCHOOLS,  50  cents. 

NOEL  AND   CHAPSAL'S  NEW  SYSTEM  OF  FRENCH   GRAMMAR, 
75  cents. 

PARKER'S  AIDS  TO  ENGLISH  COMPOSITION,  $1  00. 

POTTER'S  (Bishop)  POLITICAL  ECONOMY,  ITS  USES,  &r.,  50  cents. 

PROUDFIT'S  PLAUTUS,  "  THE  CAPTIVES."    English  Notes,  38  cents 

RENWICK'S  PRACTICAL  MECHANICS,  90  cents. 

ELEMENTS  OF  CHEMISTRY,  75  cents. 

ELEMENTS  OF  NATURAL  PHILOSOPHY,  75  cents. 

SCHMUCKER'S  MENTAL  PHILOSOPHY,  $1  00. 

UPHAM'S  TREATISE  ON  THE  WILL,  $1  25. 

MENTAL  PHILOSOPHY.    2  vols.,  $2  50.     Abridged,  $1  25 

%*  Many  other  works  in  extensive  use  as  text-books  in  schools  may  be 

found  under  the  other  heads  of  this  catalogue. 


Essayists,  Belles-lettres,  &c. 

ADDISON'S  COMPLETE  WORKS,  3  vols.,  $5  00. 

SELECTIONS  FROM  THE  SPECTATOR,  2  vols.,  90  cents. 

BACON  AND  LOCKE'S  ESSAYS,  45  cents. 

BROUGHAM'S    PLEASURES    AND    ADVANTAGES    OF    SCIENCE, 

BUCKE'S  BEAUTIES  AND  SUBLIMITIES  OF  NATURE,  45  cents. 
BURKE'S  COMPLETE  WORKS,  3  vols.,  $5  00. 

ESSAY  ON  THE  SUBLIME  AND  BEAUTIFUL,  75  cents. 

WISDOM  AND  GENIUS   ILLUSTRATED  BY   EXTRACTS 

FROM  ins  WRITINGS. 
CHESTERFIELD'  S  LETTERS  TO  HIS   SON,  AND  OTHER  WRITINGS, 

$175. 

CICERO'S   OFFICES,  ORATIONS,  AND  CATO  AND  L^ELIUS.  $1  25. 
COLERIDGE'S    LETTERS,    CONVERSATIONS,    AND    RECOLLEC 
TIONS,  65  cents. 

,  SPECIMENS  OF  THE  TABLE-TALK  OF,  12mo,  70  cents. 

COMBE'S    PHYSIOLOGY    APPLIED    TO  HEALTH    AND    MENTAL 

EDUCATION,  45  cents. 
DICK  ON  THE  IMPROVEMENT  OF  SOCIETY  BY  THE  DIFFUSION 

OF  KNOWLEDGE,  18mo,  45  cents. 

DEMOSTHENES'  ORATIONS  ;  translated  by  Leland,  2  vols.,  85  cents. 
DRY  DEN'S  COMPLETE  WORKS,  $3  75. 
DUTY  (THE)  OF  AMERICAN  WOMEN  TO  THEIR  COUNTRY.  38 «<>-*- 


PUBLISHED    BY    HARPER    &    BROTHERS.  7 

EDGEWORTH'S  TREATISE  ON  PRACTICAL  EDUCATION,  85  cents. 
FAMILY  INSTRUCTOR  ;  OR,  DUTIES  OF  DOMESTIC  LIFE,  45  cents. 
GRAVES'S  (Mrs.  A.  J.)  WOMAN  IN  AMERICA,  45  cents. 
HORNE'S  NEW  SPIRIT  OF  THE  AGE.     With  7  Portraits.  $1  50. 
JOHNSON'S  (A.  B.)  TREATISE  ON  LANGUAGE,  $1  75. 

LECTURES  TO  YOUNG  MEN,  45  cents. 

LAMB'S  ESSAYS  OF  ELIA,  LETTERS,  POEMS,  &c.,  $2  00. 
MACKENZIE'S  (HENRY)  COMPLETE  WORKS,  $1  25. 
MARTINEAU.     HOW  TO  OBSERVE,  43  cents. 
MATHEWS'S  (CORNELIUS)  MISCELLANEOUS  WRITINGS,  $1  00. 
MAURY'S  PRINCIPLES  OF  ELOQUENCE,  45  cents. 
MONTGOMERY'S    LECTURES    ON   POETRY   AND   LITERATURE, 

MORE'S  (HANNAH)  COMPLETE  WORKS,  7  vols.,  $6  50.     1  vol.,  $2  50. 

MUDIE'S  GUIDE  TO  THE  OBSERVATION  OF  NATURE,  45  cents. 

NEELE'S  (HENRY)  LITERARY  REMAINS,  $1  00. 

NOTT'S  (Dr.  ELIPHALET)  COUNSELS  TO  THE  YOUNG,  50  cents. 

POTTER  AND  EMERSON'S  SCHOOL  AND  THE  SCHOOLMASTER, 
$1  00. 

PRESCOTT'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  AND  CRITICAL  MISCELLANIES, 
$2  00. 

PURSUIT  OF  KNOWLEDGE  UNDER  DIFFICULTIES,  90  cents. 

SANDS'S  (ROBERT  C.)  WRITINGS,  2  vols.  8vo,  $3  75. 

SEDG  WICK'S  (Miss)  MEANS  AND  ENDS,  45  cents. 

SIGOURNEY'S  (Mrs.  L.  II.)  LETTERS  TO  YOUNG  LADIES,  90  cents. 

LETTERS  TO  MOTHERS,  90  cents. 

SMITH'S  (H.  J.)  PLAN  OF  INSTRUCTION  AND  HISTORY  OF  ED 
UCATION,  45  cents. 

SOUTHEY  (ROBERT).    THE  DOCTOR,  &c.,  45  cents. 

VERPLANCK'S  DISCOURSES  ON  AMERICAN  HISTORY,  60  cents. 

INFLUENCE  OF  LIBERAL  STUDIES,  25  cents. 

• INFLUENCE  OF  MORAL  CAUSES,  15  cents. 

WIRT'S  (WILLIAM)  LETTERS  OF  THE  BRITISH  SPY,  60  cents. 

Natural  Science,  &c. 

BELL.    THE  HAND.  ITS  MECHANISM,  &c.,  60  cents. 

BIRDS.     NATURAL  HISTORY  OF,  45  cents. 

BRANDE'S  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  SCIENCE  AND  ART,  $4  00. 

BREWSTER'S  LETTERS  ON  NATURAL  MAGIC,  45  cents. 

DANIELL'S  ILLUSTRATIONS  OF  NATURAL  PHILOSOPHY,  69  cents. 

DICK'S   PRACTICAL  ASTRONOMY,  50  cents. 

DRAPER'S  TREATISE  ON  THE  CHEMICAL  ORGANIZATION  OF 
PLANTS,  $250. 

ELEPHANT  (THE).    NATURAL  HISTORY  OF,  45  cents. 

EULER'S  LETTERS  ON  NATURAL  PHILOSOPHY :  edited  by  BREW- 
STER  and  GRISCOM,  45  cents. 

GOOD'S  BOOK  OF  NATURE,  $1  25. 

HASWELL'S  ENGINEERS' AND  MECHANICS' POCKET-BOOK,  $1  50. 

HERSCHEL'S  DISCOURSE  ON  THE  STUDY  OF  NATURAL  PHI 
LOSOPHY,  60  cents. 

IIIGGINS'S  PHYSICAL  CONDITION  AND  PHENOMENA  OF  THE 
EARTH,  45  cents. 

HUMBOLDT'S  COSMOS  ;  A  SURVEY  OF  THE  PHYSICAL  HISTORY 
OF  THE  UNIVERSE. 

INSECTS.    NATURAL  HISTORY  OF,  90  cents. 

KANE'S  ELEMENTS  OF  CHEMISTRY:  edited  by  DRAPER,  $2  00. 

i,EE'S  ELEMENTS  OF  GEOLOGY  AND  MINERAL  RESOURCES  OF 
THE  UNITED  STATES,  50  cents. 

MOSELEY'S  ILLUSTRATIONS  OF  MECHANICS;  edited  by  RENWICK, 

MUUIE'S' GUIDE  TO  THE  OBSERVATION  OF  NATURE,  45  cents 
QUADRUPEDS.     NATURAL  HISTORY  OF,  45  cents 


8  VALUABLE    NEW   AND    STANDARD    WORKS 

RENWICK'S  FIRST  PRINCIPLES  OF  NATURAL  PHILOSOPHY 
With  QUESTIONS,  75  cents. 

• FIRST  PRINCIPLES  OF  CHEMISTRY.  With  QUES 
TIONS,  75  cents. 

• APPLICATIONS  OF  MECHANICS  TO  PRACTICAL 

PURPOSES,  90  cents. 

UNCLE  PHILIP'S  AMERICAN  FOREST,  35  cents. 

• TOOLS  AND  TRADES  AMONG  ANIMALS,  35  cents 

VEGETABLE  SUBSTANCES  USED  FOR  FOOD,  45  cents. 

WHITE'S  NATURAL  HISTORY  OF  SELBORNE.     Plates,  45  cents. 

WYATT'S  MANUAL  OF  CONCHOLOGY  according  to  LAMARCK,  $2  75. 


Mental  and  Moral  Science, 

eERCROMBIE'S  PHILOSOPHY  OF  THE  MORAL  FEELINGS,  40  cts 

ON  THE  INTELLECTUAL  POWERS,  45  cents. 

ALISON  ON  THE  NATURE  AND  PRINCIPLES  OF  TASTE,  75  cents 
BACON   AND   LOCKE'S    ESSAYS,  AND    CONDUCT   OF    THE   UN 

DERSTANDING,  45  CCIltS. 

BOYD'S  ELEMENTS  OF  RHETORIC  AND  LITERARY   CRITICISM, 

50  cents. 

BURKE'S  ESSAY  ON  THE  SUBLIME  AND  BEAUTIFUL,  75  cents. 
CAMPBELL'S  (GEORGE)  PHILOSOPHY  OF  RHETORIC,  $1  25. 
COMBE'S  CONSTITUTION  OF  MAN,  45  cents. 
DENDY'S  PHILOSOPHY  OF  MYSTERY,  45  cents. 
DYMOND'S  PRINCIPLES  OF  MORALITY :  edited  by  G.  BUSH,  $1  38. 
HENRY'S  EPITOME  OF  THE  HISTORY  OF  PHILOSOPHY,  90  cents. 
MARTINEAU'S  LETTERS  ON  MESMERISM,  5  cents. 
HAURY'S  PRINCIPLES  OF  ELOQUENCE,  50  cents. 
MILL'S   SYSTEM   OF  LOGIC,  RATIOCINATIVE  AND   INDUCTIVE, 

$200. 

SCHMUCKER'S  PSYCHOLOGY,  OR  MENTAL  PHILOSOPHY,  $1  00. 
SEERESS  (THE)  OF  PREVORST,  20  cents. 

TOWNSHEND'S  FACTS  IN  MESMERISM.     With  Plates,  75  cents. 
UNCLE  SAM'S  RECOMMENDATIONS  OF  PHRENOLOGY,  45  cents. 
WHEWELL'S  ELEMENTS  OF  MORALITY  AND  POLITY,  $1  00. 
UPHAM'S  IMPERFECT  AND  DISORDERED  MENTAL  ACTION,  45  cts. 

• ELEMENTS  OF  MENTAL  PHILOSOPHY,  $2  50.     Abridged. 

$125. 
PHILOSOPHICAL  AND  PRACTICAL  TREATISE  ON  THE 

WILL,  $1  25. 

Voyages  and  Travels. 

ANTHON'S  (C.  B.)  TREVES,  THE  VALLEY  OF  THE   MEUSE,  &c., 

BARROW'S    PITCAIRN'S    ISLAND    AND   MUTINY  OF  THE    SHIP 

BOUNTY,  45  cents. 

BUCKINGHAM'S  TRAVELS  IN  AMERICA.    Engravings,  $3  50. 
CHANGE  FOR  THE  AMERICAN  NOTES,  10  cents. 
CIRCUMNAVIGATION  OF    THE    GLOBE,    FROM    MAGELLAN    TO 

COOK,  45  cents. 
COKE'S  TRAVELS  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES,  NOVA  SCOTIA,  AND 

CANADA,  75  cents. 

COLTON'S  (Rev.  CALVIN)  FOUR  YEARS  IN  GREAT  BRITAIN,  90  cts. 
COOK'S  VOYAGES  ROUND  THE  WORLD.    With  a  Sketch  of  his  Life, 

38  cents. 

DANA'S  TWO  YEARS  BEFORE  THE  MAST,  OR  LIFE  AT  SEA,  45  cts. 
DAVENPORT'S  PERILOUS  ADVENTURE  BY  LAND  AND  SEA,  45  cts 
DE  KAY'S  SKETCHES  OF  TURKEY  IN  1831-2,  $2  00. 
DICKENS'S  AMERICAN    NOTES   FOR   GENERAL   CIRCULATION. 

10  cents. 


14  DAY  USE 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 

LOAN  DEPT. 

This  book  is  due  on  the  last  date  stamped  below, 
or  on  the  date  to  which  renewed.  Renewals  only: 

Tel.  No.  642-3405 

Renewals  may  be  made  4  days  prior  to  date  due. 
Renewed  books  are  subject  to  immediate  recall. 


tt—f 


AH/C      JAM 


APR  6     1977  5  5 

CmCUlATlON 


**<»*.    /n 


MAY  0  2  ttftfi 

IflMf    v  w    Iv/OU 

1 

| 

LD21A-20m-3,'73 
(Q8677slO)476-A-3l 

General  Library 
University  of  California 
Berkeley 

GENERAL  LIBRARY -O.C.  BERKELEY 


